The Cracks That Show
by Purdylicious
Summary: My first forray into fanfiction. Set after the death of Sirius Black, Harry Potter begins to notice more and more that certain things, certain people aren't who he believes, as the cracks begin to show. *Some Dumbledore/Weasley/Order bashing. We all love a bit of that don't we!*
1. Chapter 1

When Harry Potter had accepted the missive from the regal looking brown owl he had had no idea what he was receiving. Assuming, quite incorrectly, that he had finally been sent a letter from one of his friends, he had proceeded to rip the envelope open at lightning speed, only to come to a comical stop as the logo for Gringotts Bank came into his line of sight.

At this Harry did a double take. Gringotts had never before written to him. For the first time ever Harry wondered why that was. Even in the muggle world people received monthly or quarterly statements to keep them informed of their financial status.

Breathing deeply he decided to ask Mrs Weasley or her husband when they picked him up for the summer. He had no idea when this would be, as usual. It seemed that the Order was forever keeping him out of the loop, only usually finding out a few hours or perhaps, if he were lucky, a day before he was due to be released from his priso-relatives house.

Looking back down at the letter casually held by his right hand Harry Potter began to read:

_Mr Harry Potter,_

_It is with great sadness that we at Gringotts Wizarding Bank are to inform you of the recent demise of one Sirius Orion Black. A will reading has been scheduled for August 3__rd__. If you cannot attend for any reason please send an owl to: Ragnok c/o Gringotts Wizarding Bank, no later than August 1__st__. _

_May your gold be ever flowing_

_Griphook_

_(Account Manager)_

Unnoticed by Harry, the letter fell from his now slack grip and fluttered to the floor. Placing his head into his hands Harry wept anew for the death of his godfather. He had thought that he was handling the death well. Well, as well as anyone can handles the death of a family member.

"It's my fault," was the broken whisper from the distraught young teen. "It's all my fault!" As the tears came unbidden a beautiful snowy owl watched sadly from on top of the wardrobe, a soft hoot the only solace for the grieving boy.

**Authors Note**

My future chapters should be a lot longer than this initial chapter. My focus was on making myself publish something I had written and not to keep it on my computer until the whole story was complete. Knowing myself as I do, I would have likely talked myself out of it. I am in the process of writing the second chapter which is already 3 times the length of this one and I have barely started it.


	2. Chapter 2

"Boy!"

With a start Harry sat up. His eyes were sore and his vision was blurred. The latter was fixed by placing his glasses atop his thin nose. Carding his hand through his messy, black locks Harry yawned and stretched his aching muscles. As his back cracked, he winced and continued to stretch slowly, trying not to push his body's limits. It was an unfortunate fact that Harry was not cared for by his relatives, the Dursleys. His frame was thin and not a deliberate thinness that one chooses but an almost skeletal thinness that one gets after years of malnutrition and over-working.

"BOY!" the voice yelled once more, closer this time.

"Yes Uncle Vernon?" Harry replied timidly as the sound of several locks being released invaded his ears. Standing up he carefully straightened his clothes to look as presentable as possible even though his Uncle would always find something to criticise him about.

Slowly and without ceremony the door was opened and in the doorway stood a large, rotund man with a wispy moustache and a slightly purple complexion. The man in question stared at Harry with undiluted hatred and growled slightly at the sight of his nephew.

"I shouldn't have to call you more than once boy!"

"Yes Uncle Vernon. It won't happen again."

"It had better not! You know the consequences!" A malevolent smile formed as Vernon said this, his eyes glossing over slightly as he imagined his nephews fate should he be disinclined to heed this one warning.

Harry was all too aware of what the consequences of failure in his uncles eyes were. He still ached slightly from the punishment he had received for '_getting those dirty freaks to tell me what I can and cannot do to an abnormality like you'_. Harry had tried to explain that he had asked them to do no such thing but Vernon was past listening and had made sure Harry knew not to weasel his way of a '_deserved_' punishment. Shivering slightly at the look his uncle still sported he tried to maintain a polite yet indifferent air and waited to see what his uncle wanted him for.

After a short amount of time, yet long enough to make Harry very uncomfortable, Vernon once again turned to his nephew. "Petunia, Dudley and I have been invited to a luncheon at the Wentworth Country Club. It's only for normal folk like us so you obviously won't be attending boy." Standing up straighter and puffing out his chest Vernon continued. "Your Aunt has left a list of chores on the kitchen counter that you _will _finish before we return this evening." The threat was clear and Vernon smiled as Harry swallowed nervously.

"Yes Uncle Vernon" came the rehearsed reply from the dark haired teen.

"We will be back no later than 11pm. I hope I don't have to remind you that you are not to go poking around again. Your aunt has left you some lunch and dinner next to your chores and that had better suffice. A freak like you should feel lucky to be fed at all. You know I sometimes wonder why we took in a freak boy like you anyway, nothing but trouble."

"Yes Uncle Vernon." This time the resentment was clear in Harrys tone and Vernon's complexion darkened a few shades in barely repressed anger.

"Why you ungrateful little brat! You had better improve your attitude whilst we are out or you may find my reaction less welcoming than normal." With a dark glint in his eyes Vernon backed out of the room and paused as he pulled the door closed. "Remember, have that list finished by 11pm or there will be trouble boy." Then he was gone.

Harry let out the breath he had been holding and tried to relax his tense muscles. After receiving that letter from Gringotts the previous night and then crying like a little boy into the early hours of the morning, Harry had fallen asleep, fully dressed and proceeded to have a fitful night's sleep. Needless to say Harry probably looked worse than usual. No wonder his uncle was in such a good mood.

Within a few minutes Harry heard the front door close and lock and his '_family' _pile into their, in Harrys opinion, overly flashy car. It always amused Harry to see his obese uncle and cousin try to squeeze into the gleaming Audi A8 while his Aunt Petunia always seemed to preen in the reflection of the tinted windows. How they thought they looked good was beyond Harry but just watching them drive off for the day, even knowing he most likely had a list as long as his arm to complete by this evening, was like a weight being lifted from him. The scrutiny he felt within number 4 Privet Drive was almost as bad as the scrutiny he received from most of the wizarding community.

Deciding to take care of his own needs first Harry walked into the bathroom making sure to take one of his own towels and one of the soap bars that he had stolen from the Gryffindor boys bathroom before the end of the previous term. He wouldn't want to be accused of tainting them with his freakishness by sharing their things.

Stepping into the hot spray Harry sighed and just stood there for a few moments as the water trickled down over his head and past his shoulders. Not wanting to take too long Harry washed his hair and body quickly with the soap he had brought with him and then turned the water off. Towelling himself off Harry wandered back across the hallway into his room and proceeded to dress in some fresh clothes. After doing this he quickly wandered back into the bathroom to relieve his bladder and brush his teeth. That done Harry began removing any evidence that he had ever been in the bathroom. If one thing was out of place, Harry knew that his uncle would not be impressed. He was normally made to use the downstairs toilet and thus was limited to using the sink for all his washing needs. A shower at privet drive was a luxury Harry was not normally given and he was not willing to be punished for something as simple as not cleaning up after himself.

Back in his bedroom Harry looked warmly upon his familiar. Hedwig was a wonderful friend and confidant. He knew she would never tell anyone his secrets. The fact that she actually couldn't was lost on Harry, he was just so desperate for a friend at this moment in his life that he didn't want to look further than necessary. Careful not to make too much noise while Hedwig slept soundly upon the rickety wardrobe, Harry filled her food and water bowls to the top and quietly made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Remembering his uncles words about his lunch and dinner being ready on the counter Harry hurried towards the plastic Tupperware that sat next to the sink. His stomach growled in anticipation as he neared the box. The list sat on top, waiting to be read, but Harry ignored it in favour of the treats within. Pulling off the lid with no care whatsoever he stopped short as he took in its contents. His stomach growled again, this time in understandable disappointment.

There, sat upon a plain white paper plate, sat probably the most sad looking sandwich that Harry had ever seen. Lifting it gingerly from the box Harry peeked between the thin slices of semi-stale bread and saw a single lettuce leaf. With a sigh Harry peeked back into the box to see what else he had been left. Wrapped in a piece of kitchen paper and shoved in one corner sat 3 cream crackers and 2 almost paper thin slices of cheese. In the opposite corner was an over-ripe banana and 6, no, make that 7 grapes in varying state of decay. Feeling intensely disappointed with his daily rations Harry carefully cut his sandwich in half and not bothering to sit at the table ate one half and the few grapes that were salvageable knowing that he would surely need the remaining food once the days tasks had been completed. Turning on the tap and cupping his hands he drank his fill of the cool water and packed his remaining food into the paper towel and proceeded to hide it in his bedroom. This way, at least if he wasn't finished by the time his family came home, he wouldn't starve after being punished.

Wandering back into the kitchen Harry rinsed out the Tupperware carefully and stored it on the draining board. Picking up the list Harry noted each chore with growing dread.

'**To Do:**

- Mow the lawn (front and back)

- Tidy the shed

- Take out the garbage

- Mop the kitchen floor

- Clean the bathroom and downstairs toilet

- Tidy the spare bedroom and put clean sheets on the bed

- Vacuum the carpets

- Polish all surfaces in the living room and pictures in the hallway

- Do the laundry

Tidying the spare bedroom meant that Aunt Marge was coming to stay. Harry tried to ignore the bile that rose in his throat as he remembered the last time he had seen that awful woman. She had been in the process of insulting his deceased mother when, for lack of another description, she had inflated like a helium balloon and floated out the back door. Looking back since, Harry had been able to see the funny side when discussing the topic with his friends Ron and Hermione, though Hermione had scolded him initially. Now, however, it was a different thing altogether. She technically shouldn't remember the altercation at all thanks to the mind magic the wizarding police known as Aurors had utilised but that didn't stop the worry that something like that could happen again if he lost his temper. After the fiasco last year with the dementors and his ensuing trial Harry knew he was standing on thin ice. He was not sure he would be believed were he to claim something was accidental magic and as Harry neared his sixteenth birthday he didn't think that excuse would work for much longer anyways.

With a grim smile Harry turned on his heel and headed out to fetch the lawnmower. The sooner he started the sooner he could forget the impending threat of Marjorie Dursley and her borderline deranged dog's upcoming visit.

**Authors Note**

I had decided to hold off on posting this at first as I only added my first chapter a few hours ago. However I felt that that one chapter, being so short, was not enough for you guys to give me a fair review of my writing skills. This is all that I have written for this story currently. I will be writing more this week but if the ideas do not flow I will not be forcing them as that never makes a good story in my opinion.

I appreciate any and all reviews. If you could give me some feedback on my writing style, how I portray the characters etc I would be very grateful.  
Hope you enjoy it! x


	3. Chapter 3

Harry was just putting the last few of Dudleys rather large t-shirts away in his cousin's wardrobe when he heard the car pull up in the drive way. Not wanting to get on his uncle's bad side after an already miserable day Harry quickly ran to his bedroom and retrieved an empty plastic bottle and hurried into the bathroom opposite to fill it with water. Knowing that he only had, at most another minute or two, Harry quickly emptied his bladder and washed his face and hands, drying them with the front of his t-shirt.

Seconds after he had tiptoed into his bedroom, Harry heard the sounds of the front door being unlocked and his uncle making his way up the stairs. There was a deep growl and he swallowed nervously, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what had aggravated his uncle in only a matter of seconds. He had definitely remembered to put the vacuum away under the stairs. Was one of the family photographs at an angle? He gulped uneasily. Another growl was heard, this time it came from what seemed like the kitchen. What on earth was going on?

With dread, Harry listened to each of his uncle's heavy footsteps as he bumbled up the narrow staircase and along the hall. Walking straight past his room his uncle headed into the spare bedroom and silence filled the house. A few moments later the shadow of his uncle Vernon appeared in the doorway and his face held a satisfied smirk.

"I see you cleaned the spare bedroom boy."

"Yes Uncle Vernon."

"Well? What are you waiting for?" demanded the beefy man.

"Uncle Vernon?" The tone of young Harry's voice made the question obvious.

"Go and fetch your Aunt Marge's bag boy. You don't expect her to carry it up here herself do you?"

Harry felt his heart as it beat wildly in his chest. She was here already? Now? Oh god! Realising that he was beginning to hyperventilate Harry tried to calm his breathing with increasing difficulty.

"What's wrong boy?" came the reply from his uncle. "Anyone would think you weren't happy to see your Aunt. What has it been hmm? Ah yes two years! Two years since my beloved sister came to stay. Two years since you attacked her and made her tour the neighbourhood without the help of a ruddy hot air balloon! Two years since those freaks had to use that, that…MAGIC on _my_ sister!" Vernon was slowly turning a deep crimson and was currently clutching the door handle in a white knuckle grip.

"Vernon? Vernon!" Came the voice of the woman in question from the kitchen.

"Get her suitcase up here within the next minute boy and I don't want to see you out of this room or hear a peep until tomorrow morning, you hear me?" Vernon was slowly loosening his iron hold on the handle. Forcing himself to sound cheerful Vernon called down to his sister. "I'll be right there Marjorie!" With a last look at the still fearful form of his nephew, Vernon turned and waddled his way to the kitchen.

After a few seconds Harry forced himself to move and ran down the stairs and into the entry hall. Picking up the large suitcase that held Aunt Marge's possessions was easier said than done. Huffing with the effort, Harry began the journey to the spare bedroom, stopping for a breather every few steps. When the suitcase was finally deposited in the spare room Harry rushed back to his bedroom wanting to leave the _joyous_ family reunion for as long as humanly possible.

About 20 minutes after Harry had hidden himself back in his room there came the unmistakable sound of locks bolting from the other side of his door. Harry let out a sigh of relief. Ok, so maybe he couldn't get out, but that also meant that no one could get in. Feeling as safe and content as anyone in this situation could, Harry ate the other half of his sandwich and drank half of his water before laying down in the darkness.

"Goodnight Hedwig."

The sound of his familiar's feathers rustling and a low hoot was his reply as the teen rolled onto his side only to dream of riding in a giant hot air balloon that constantly insulted him and was swarmed by a pack of angry, purple dogs.

...

The next day promised to be miserable from the first moment Harry opened his eyes. The light entering his window was dull and even without his glasses Harry could see the dark grey clouds that were sure to promise rain later in the day.

Rolling out of bed and stretching languidly Harry placed his glasses on his nose and proceeded to the window, groaning in dismay as he noticed the water spots already rolling their way down the glass. Just as he was about to turn away there was a bright flash followed several seconds later by a deep rumble. Walking towards Hedwig's cage he refilled her food and then proceeded to top up her water from his bottle.

"Morning Hedwig," Harry said as he stroked her downy feathers. "How is my beautiful girl today hmm?"

Hedwig puffed up proudly under the devotion displayed in her master's voice. He was her human, no one else's. Sure he might be a bit skinny and his feathers were sparse but he was kinder than any other soul she had had the pleasure to meet in her short existence.

"Aunt Marge is here," the sadness in Harry's voice was obvious and Hedwig replied with a disappointed hoot of her own. "You know what that means don't you girl?"

Waiting patiently for her faithful human to answer her was torture. Most people didn't communicate with their animals. They felt that they were better than them and that there was no way that such a lowly creature could understand them. Hedwig couldn't speak specifically for all other animals, although she had met a rather polite ginger kneazle a few years ago at Hogwarts that enjoyed catching rodents almost as much as she did, but most understood the basics of human language enough to understand what was dangerous and what was safe. As a wizard familiar Hedwig was blessed by magic to understand her master completely and being a post owl also, she was able to deliver important communications to those that her master deemed deserving. It was only the fact that she couldn't reply and tell her kind human how much she wished he was treated better and how much he meant to her that hurt the tiny white owl. Her heart broke whenever her human cried and her soul raged for every injustice her master had had to suffer through.

Harry felt Hedwig gently nip at his fingers, urging him to tell her his plight. "I have to send you away girl," he said softly, "I don't know how long for but as long as Aunt Marge and her demon dog are here you're just not safe. I would hate for anything to happen to you, you know that right?" Another small nip and a low hoot was all the answer he needed. "How would you like to stay with Hermione for a few weeks? I know she will treat you well. Ron would take you in too but it's quieter at Hermione's and I know you're not that keen on Pig and his, uh, energetic displays."

Harry laughed as he recalled Hedwig's first introduction to Pigwidgeon, or Pig as Ron called him, and the ensuing chase that left Hedwig's feathers ruffled for the remainder of the day. A deep hoot was heard from Hedwig as she puffed up and turned away from him. "I'm sorry girl I wasn't laughing at you, just a memory. I'll write to Hermione now ok?" Running his fingers gently down Hedwig's back soothed him as much as it did her at that moment. Harry dreaded having no one to confide in for the foreseeable future but he would always put Hedwig's needs above his own and he knew that he could not cater for them whilst Vernon's sister was at Number 4.

**Authors Note**

Wow I have managed to upload one chapter each day for 3 days now. I don't think I will be able to keep this pace up but I hope that with each new chapter you continue to enjoy my little plot bunny. I am planning on this being a story of about 100,000 words, maybe more so stay tuned in the coming weeks and months.

Further thanks to 'alix33' for reading this chapter and letting me know my mistakes. I need this help to improve so big hugs to them! I have made the changes pointed out to me.


	4. Chapter 4

In a small bedroom on the outskirts of London sat a young girl with thick brown hair and intelligent, warm brown eyes. Her face was blank, her body stiff and if you were to only glance you would swear you were looking at a fresh corpse.

Hermione Granger was a smart young witch with unquestionable loyalty towards Hogwarts, the Order and one Harry Potter. On her bedside table sat several empty potion vials, her regime of medical potions was currently on-going after her run-in with Dolohov in the department of mysteries. An orange fur ball, or kneazle, was sat on her lap basking in his owner's warmth.

A light tapping could be heard at her window but no movement was forthcoming. As the taps became increasingly loud and his masters body still unmoving, Crookshanks the ginger half-kneazle lifted his head and uttered a single meow before licking his paw and going back to sleep. The sound had the desired effect and Hermione carefully lifted her beloved pet onto the bed and once he was deposited safely, sped to the window. As soon as she had opened the small window a white blur zoomed inside allowing her to close the window on the miserable storm that raged outside.

Hermione spotted Hedwig, leg outstretched in her direction, sat on the back of her desk chair. A faint smile appeared for a few seconds as Hermione gazed at the Snowy owl with fondness.

"Hi there girl, what have you brought me?"

"Hoot!" Hedwig flapped her somewhat sodden wings and pushed her leg out more, trying to retain her balance on the wooden chair.

With a giggle Hermione moved forward and untied the missive from the beautiful bird's leg and proceeded to sit in the chair. Hedwig, realising that her perch had been compromised, flew to the top of Hermione's wardrobe and proceeded to groom herself. Unfolding the parchment Hermione set her eyes on the familiar scrawl of her best friend.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I hope you're feeling better and I hope that Madame Pomfrey's potions are working well. They should be, I have never found myself with a magical condition that she cannot fix and you know I have had plenty to date._

_I just want you to know how terrible I feel about getting you hurt. I should never have brought you guys to the Ministry, it was only me they wanted. No one should have gotten hurt._

_I received a letter from Gringotts yesterday. I certainly wasn't expecting it as I have never received one before but when I opened it had their seal so I don't think it's a fake. Can you even do that? Add someone else's seal to a letter I mean? I guess I should have paid more attention in history of magic huh? Oh well I doubt that Dumbledore will let me go anyway, even if it is for Sirius's will reading. _

_Could you please look after Hedwig for a few weeks for me? My Aunt Marge is visiting and she never comes without her dog Ripper and I am worried about what she would do if she saw Hedwig. The only creatures that she reacts favourably to are her ruddy bulldogs and my cousin. She normally only stays for a week but I haven't heard how long she will be staying yet so can you please look after Hedwig until at least the 21__st__ of July. _

_Feel free to send her out with any letters you want to send. If you must send me letters Hermione, (and we both know you will) tell her before each journey to only drop letters off if I am completely alone. She's a smart girl so she will understand._

_Again, I hope you are feeling better and have a great holiday. _

_Harry Potter_

_P.s. If you cannot look after her for whatever reason please send her to Ron. I think she will prefer it at your house but I wasn't sure if your parents are taking you on vacation this year._

Folding up the yellowed parchment Hermione bit her lip, grabbed a piece of her own parchment and a self-inking quill off of the old desk and began to write a reply.

. . .

Harry Potter watched sadly as his familiar's form disappeared into the distance. He hated having to bid her farewell for at least the next two weeks but he understood the necessity. He only hoped that Hedwig understood also.

It was currently just after 7am and he could hear the sounds of Vernon, Petunia and Dudley rising to start the day. The sounds of his Aunt Marge soon joined the familiar noises and before long the voices passed his door completely; leaving him in silence for the next few minutes as he watched the storm rage on outside his window.

About ten minutes later, the familiar sound of the cat flap opening registered in Harry's mind and he turned to see his Aunt Petunia's hand disappearing back out into the hallway. His Aunt and Uncle had installed the cat door a few years previous as a way of serving Harry food without having to put up with '_the freak'._ Harry didn't actually mind the cat flap as it meant he did not have to see the Dursleys first thing in the morning. He was always worried that he would say something that would get him into trouble before he had had a chance to wake up completely.

Breakfast was always served to him this way. Lunch was normally a small portion of whatever his family were eating. As Dudley was still on his diet this was not normally much more than a piece of fruit or a few crackers and dinner was a 50/50 chance depending on whether he had completed his chores and also what mood Vernon came home from work in. Today's breakfast consisted of a single slice of dry, slightly singed toast and a cup of lukewarm tea. Morosely Harry ate the morsel and drank the tea although he cringed as he did so. Half cold tea was never appealing, the skin that formed on the top was enough to give him the heebie-jeebies but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Not knowing when he would be let out of his room and to take his mind off his full and aching bladder, Harry decided to get started on his summer homework. Opening his trunk Harry dug around until he found his History of Magic text and proceeded to open it to the required chapter. After re-reading the section several times Harry grabbed a quill, some ink and a piece of parchment and started the daunting task of explaining how the goblin rebellion of 1257AD could have been avoided.

. . .

It must have been after 11am when the Dursleys saw fit to let Harry out of his room. After receiving a 10 minute lecture from his Uncle about the consequences of upsetting his sister or harming her in any way he was free to use the toilet and sighed at the immense relief that it brought him. Walking into the kitchen to receive his first task of the day Harry was dismayed when instead of the familiar form of his Aunt Petunia greeting him, the stout form of Aunt Marge came into his vision instead. Seated at the kitchen table, the woman in question was reading the newspaper and mumbling about the state of the economy and how awful it was that good citizens like herself were not commended enough for their patience with the lower classes.

Having only taken a few steps inside the kitchen door Harry paused and considered a hasty retreat. His plan was foiled however when Ripper, Marge's favourite pooch, began to growl threateningly in his direction.

At the sound of her '_ickle baby'_s' distress, Marge lowered the newspaper and frowned.

"You there, delinquent, what have you done to Ripper?"

"Nothing Aunt Marge." Was Harrys anxious reply.

"Ripper only growls at those who cause trouble," was Marge's reply. "You must have done something."

"No, I haven't done anythi-"

"Don't lie to me! Vernon! VERNON!"

His uncle waddled his way out of the living room and quickly surveyed the situation.

"Boy! What did you do now?"

"Nothing Uncle Vernon I just—"

"Don't answer back to your betters! Disgraceful child!" The last part was practically spat at him by his Aunt Marge and Harry realised he was not going to win any brownie points by trying to explain.

Harry bowed his head in part answer and submission and awaited their response.

"Stay out of our way today boy. You can weed the back flower gardens and mind you don't traipse any mud in the house or mark my words you will feel my anger."

Knowing that arguing with his uncle about the weather would only anger his guardian more, Harry nodded once firmly and silently slipped out the back door and into the freezing rain.

. . .

He had barely been outside for five minutes but Harry was already soaked and shivering. Flashes and bangs from the thunderstorm could still be heard and seen in the distance but that didn't worry Harry too much, he had never really been afraid of storms. He guessed that was a result of being on his own as much as he had been such as his time spent in the cupboard and behind the locks of his so-called bedroom. Unfortunately his hand-me-down clothes were too threadbare to keep him warm and Harry knew that if he tried to head back into the house before the flower beds had been weeded that he would feel his uncle's wrath.

Kneeling down on the soggy grass Harry carefully started to pick out and remove the small seedling weeds and also some of the larger ones that his Aunt Petunia must have missed or mistaken for flowers during his time away at school. His Aunt loved to show off her flower beds and although she was a competent gardener she lacked the patience needed to remove all of the weeds. That job, as always, was normally one of Harry's during the summer.

He was actually surprised that she would allow him to be so near to her prize roses but he had realised soon after the first time he had been given this task that she would rather see him suffer without the use of pruning shears or gloves than worry about him ruining a few of her treasured roses. His Aunt probably also relished at the thought of one of his Uncle Vernon's punishments were he to accidentally destroy a few of the precious blooms.

Harry didn't know how long he had been working in the garden but the rain had slowed to a drizzle and he could no longer hear the distant storm that had raged earlier. A noise behind him disturbed his progress and Harry turned to see his cousin Dudley shifting his weight back and forth a few meters away.

Dudley Dursley was a younger version of his father. His hair was a sandy blonde, short and framing his pudgy face. Although his diet was working, along with a strict training regime for his wrestling prowess, his cousin still cut an impressive figure. His shoulders were broad, his arms beefy and his fists clenched. Harry had been on the receiving end of far too many beatings by those knuckles and wondered what his cousin wanted and if he would be able to escape before Dudley could reach him.

"Hi," Dudley said so quietly that Harry almost missed it. "Can I talk to you a minute?"

The surprise must have showed on Harry's face for within the space of a few seconds Dudley had moved towards him, hands held out in front of him, a gesture of peace.

"I guess so, sure." Standing up straight and flexing his shoulders Harry turned towards his cousin and out of habit positioned himself for a quick getaway should this be a ploy to begin a fresh round of 'Harry hunting'.

Harry hunting was a game that Dudley had begun back when they were kids. It involved his cousin and his friends chasing Harry throughout the neighbourhood and if they caught him Harry was normally rewarded with a beating. Luckily for Harry his cousin had always been large and so it was rare that they caught him. They were normally only successful if Harry was focussing on one of his chores or if he was hungry or recovering from one of his uncle's punishments.

"I uh, I just wanted to say thanks."

Even though he understood the words, Harry was too shocked to really understand the meaning behind them. He didn't know how long he stood there gaping at his cousin but he eventually regained enough composure to mutter a single word. "Why?"

"Last year you saved me. I'm sorry I blamed you for what happened but mum explained that those things, depletors—"

"Dementors."

Harry saw Dudley shiver and could see that he was most likely relieving the moment that one of the dementors had caught him and come within seconds of sucking out his soul by the look in his eyes. Coughing gently, Harry saw Dudley stand up straighter, the haunted look not quite leaving his eyes but he didn't seem to be stuck in his own mind any longer.

"Dementor, right." Dudley breathed deeply and continued his speech. "Mum told me that those things were real. She told me that she had heard about them from her sister, um, your mum." He nervously rubbed the back of his head and stared at Harry. "After she told me I figured I was lucky to be alive."

"Technically dementors don't kill, they suck out your soul and leave you a shell of a person." Harry didn't know why he explained them to his cousin. He guessed that he thought it may help but if the look on Dudley's face was anything to go by his cousin had found this information more disturbing that insightful. Harry saw his cousin's adam's apple bob nervously as he swallowed time and time again. There was obviously more that he wanted to say and so Harry stood there patiently waiting for him to regain his composure.

"If you tell anyone that I thanked you I will beat you so hard you will be, uh, you will be in a world of hurt!" The comment lacked its usual vitriol but the meaning was clear. Tell no one.

"Don't worry _Big D_," Harry replied with a glare. "I won't tell anyone."

Dudley didn't even respond to Harry and instead headed back towards the open kitchen door. Before walking inside, he turned and nodded his head, a small smile aimed at Harry as he entered the property, closing the door softly behind him.

Harry stood still for a few minutes as his mind replayed the events of the past few minutes. He couldn't be sure that this wasn't some elaborate joke due to his past with his family but the more he thought about it the more he believed that Dudley was being genuine.

"Get back to work boy! If you think for one minute that you can stop for lunch after standing around doing nothing then you have another think coming!" Vernon Dursleys voice rang out from the door which Dudley had just entered.

Harry did the only thing he could and turned around to continue his chore. A grunt of satisfaction was heard before the door was once again pulled shut. With a sigh Harry began to weed the garden once more, his stomach rumbling painfully. Boy did he miss Hogwarts.

**Authors Note**

Due to my own personal life I have taken slightly longer to write this chapter but it is also a lot longer than the previous 3. I am trying to lay a foundation for the upcoming plot so I appologise that not much is happening at the moment. I don't want everything to collapse around him too quickly as I don't think it rings true. Before the end of summer Harry will have learned a few things and will start trying to adjust. Any speculation as to what these things are is welcome but please include a few helpful comments within your review so that I may better my writing over the coming chapters.

More thanks and hugs to 'alix33' for pointing out some gramatical errors. She also asked a few questions and here are my replies:

When Crookshanks refers to Hermione as his master I was asked why this was not mistress as Hermione is a young woman. My answer is that I always considered house elves the only one to be gender specific. As an example, if I myself owned a dog or cat I would be his/her master and that is the logic I based Crookshanks thoughts on.

She also asked what colour Hermione's self-inking quill is. - I always believed that Hermione would choose a no-nonsense, all business black quill.


	5. Chapter 5

After Harry had completed the task of weeding the flowerbeds in the back garden his Aunt Petunia took the time to check that they were finished to her exacting standards. After a few minutes where Harry had stood awkwardly off to one side trying desperately not to fidget, his Aunt had grudgingly commended him on his work and told him to do the front flowerbeds also.

A few hours later a tired and very filthy black haired teen made his way inside the door of Number 4 Privet Drive. Carefully taking his shoes off and wrapping them in a carrier bag for the mud to harden, Harry headed into his bedroom, grabbed a fresh t-shirt and pair of trousers and headed downstairs to wash up. Seeing as his family were home and he was completely covered in mud and grime, Harry knew he would not get away with sneaking into the bathroom for a shower. A quick wash in the downstairs toilets sink would have to suffice.

After he had washed and changed his clothes Harry made his way into the living room. Vernon, Petunia, Marge and Dudley were all sat around the television watching an old film. Harry waited patiently to be noticed and eventually his Uncle turned and addressed him.

"Finally finished have you boy? Took you long enough."

"Yes Uncle Vernon."

"You can make a start on dinner then. There are steaks in the fridge and potatoes by the back door. You remember how we like our steaks don't you boy?"

"Yes Uncle Vernon."

"See that you do or there will be trouble. There are 7 steaks, see that they are all cooked correctly. Two each for Marge and me, one for your Aunt Petunia," at this Vernon turned to his wife and muttered something quietly to which she replied with a light kiss to his chubby cheek. "Very well Pet but I still think you could use more meat on those bones of yours. Dudley, you're having two steaks as usual aren't you my lad?"

Hearing his name Dudley turned and acknowledged his Uncle. "Actually dad, I was thinking I would just have one today. The freak can have the other one."

Silence filled the living room.

"What have you done to my son boy and don't you be telling me any lies either. I won't stand for it! I saw you talking to him earlier, what did you threaten my son with you hooligan!" Vernon's voice had gotten louder with each word, culminating in a level of noise previously unheard in the small terraced house.

Gulping nervously as his Uncle angrily tried to heave himself to his feet Harry could think of nothing to say that would diffuse the situation. Stuttering out a response was soon deemed unnecessary as his cousin once again spoke up.

"Dad, DAD!" The voice of Dudley Dursley penetrated the raging mind of his father and Vernon stared at his son in shock. "He didn't do anything to me and we weren't talking earlier, I was telling him he better do a good job on mum's roses or he would have to deal with me." Soldiering on Dudley once again used his voice in the ensuing silence. "I just thought I would have one steak so that mum might allow me to have double portions of the chocolate fudge cake Aunt Marge left in the fridge for pudding, you know to celebrate her coming to stay and all that."

"Of course you may have two pieces of cake Dudley." His Aunt Marge's voice said, sickeningly sweet. "Right Petunia?"

Sitting stock still and staring at her son Petunia could do nothing but nod.

"Well I guess that's settled then," Vernon said rather stiffly. "Get cooking boy but understand that you won't be eating at the table with us civilised folk."

Bowing his head in acquiescence Harry headed into the kitchen to make dinner for his relatives. For the first time since he had been a resident of Number 4, Harry Potter felt accepted. Not by the adults in the house, never by them, but his cousin would have normally been permitted two steaks and two pieces of cake as even his Aunt Petunia could not argue against the brashness of Marjorie Dursley. No, Dudley had given up his extra portion to him, _the freak_, and Harry knew that that was as close to a heartfelt apology as he was ever likely to get. With a small smile Harry began to prepare dinner, even going so far as to make the homemade peppercorn sauce that Dudley was so fond of.

. . .

Later that night, after being locked in his room by his relatives, Harry was putting the finishing touches on his History of Magic essay. It was not his best work but it was not his best subject. Maybe he could scrape an 'exceeds expectations' if he could get Hermione to check his essay on the train ride to Hogwarts.

Just as he was setting down his quill a gentle tapping caught his attention.

"Hedwig!" The beautiful snowy owl was patiently waiting on his window sill and was bouncing slightly in her excitement. Wrenching open the window Harry waited for his familiar to hop onto his arm before sitting himself down on the bed.

Allowing her master to pet her for a few moments she preened under the gentle ministrations. With a mild nip on her master's finger she proceeded to stick her leg out and waited to be relieved of her note.

"Is this from Hermione girl?"

Hedwig bobbed her head in confirmation and after watching her young master remove the letter carefully, so as not to hurt her, she flew onto her perch and stuck her head under her wing to rest.

Unfolding the aged parchment Harry began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_Of course I will look after Hedwig, she is always welcome. Also, thank you for giving me permission to send some letters with her. Victor normally writes me a few letters in the summer and it would be nice to be able to send the first one this year._

_Please understand and accept that I do not blame you for what Dolohov did to me in the department of mysteries. I followed you willingly and I would do so again, even knowing that I would get hurt, because you are my best friend. So please stop fretting over it and know that I am getting better every day. Madame Pomfrey said that I will probably have to take the potions for at least the next month but that I should be back to normal by September 1__st__._

_To be honest I am not really in pain from the curse anymore. Well, most of the time. If I move too suddenly or try to lift something heavy it hurts a lot but otherwise it is a continual dull ache. I'm not going to lie to you Harry it has not been easy coming to terms with my injury. I have nightmares and I am afraid that you think less of me because I couldn't defend myself. How can I help you if I cannot help myself?_

_I am sorry to hear that your Aunt Marge is back. I remember the stories that you told us about how she treats you. Try not to lose your temper though Harry. Know that I think you are worth 100 of her and that anything she says is just ignorance. To be honest she sounds like the muggle counterpart of Malfoy and you are able to handle him so just try and ignore it as best as you can. It's only going to be for a week or so, I know you can do it._

_So you received a letter from Gringott's too? I am not surprised as we both know how much Sirius loved you. You were practically the only family he had. I will try and research magical will readings to see what will happen but I cannot see it being too different from the muggle ones. I can't wait to see you though I wish it were in better circumstances. I always miss you so much during the holidays. _

_I know I am repeating myself but don't blame yourself for Sirius death. It was Bellatrix who shot the curse, not you! So if you want to blame anyone blame her. Oh Harry I swear if I could curse her for you I would but she is extremely unstable and probably more dangerous because of it. _

_I don't understand why you have never received a statement from Gringott's though. I mean, I don't even have a vault but I receive letters two or three times a year about the state of the economy and the exchange rate from pounds to galleons. I would recommend writing a letter to them and asking. Maybe it's a clerical error? Who knows, but it needs to be sorted. As a vault holder you should receive information on the interest rates as well as a yearly total. Do you want me to do some research? Let me know when you send Hedwig back to me. _

_Keep your chin up Harry. You're not alone, never alone!_

_Lots of Love_

_Hermione x_

Carefully folding up the letter Harry placed it on his desk ready to reply in the morning. Hedwig was sleeping soundly on her perch and Harry's eyes were tired and sore. With a yawn he removed his glasses, placed them on the small, wonky bedside table and lay down on the bed. Barely a minute had passed before the dark haired teenager was sound asleep.

. . .

When Harry awoke the following morning he was relieved to see that the weather was dry and it looked as though the sun may even make a small appearance from behind the clouds later on in the day. Standing up and stretching his muscles, Harry placed his glassed on his nose and looked confused as he spotted a bowl of cereal, dry, and a glass of water already pushed through the cat flap. Feeling his stomach grumble lightly Harry picked up the bowl and, just as he was turning back towards his desk to eat, spotted a note that had been tucked under the bowl written in his Uncle's sharp, slanted script.

_'Boy. We have gone to the coast for a few days with your Aunt Marge and Dudley. Your Aunt Petunia has left a list of chores to complete no later than Sunday afternoon when we expect to return. The house better be pristine. You don't need to worry about Ripper, we are dropping him with a friend of Marge's, there's no way we would trust you to look after anything more than that ruddy pigeon.'_

Smiling, Harry consumed his cereal and jauntily walked to the bathroom to freshen up. He couldn't believe his luck! Three whole days without the Dursleys' breathing down his neck, three whole days to have free reign over the house. He might even watch a movie or two, though he would have to remember to put the VHS tapes back where he found them.

After towelling off and dressing in clean clothes Harry re-read the letter that Hermione had sent to him the previous night and began to form a reply.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I'm glad that that you are getting better but I still cannot help but feel responsible. I know, I know, you think that I shouldn't but it's not something that I can change right now. Too many bad things happened there for me to not feel responsible. At the end of the day if I hadn't gone, no one would have gone and you wouldn't have been injured, Sirius would be alive and I wouldn't have this pain in my chest that I just can't shift._

_I think that you were great in the DOM! I mean we are only 5__th__ years after all and we held them off for the most part. Imagine what we will be able to do for this war when we are 7__th__ years! I wish Dumbledore would help me, he practically ignored me all last year for his 'greater good' and I have to wonder when he is going to give me the training I need. That we need!_

_I will consider writing to the Goblins' about my lack of mail. Your probably right, I mean, they have hundreds of vaults to keep an eye on I am probably just one of the unlucky ones that slipped through the net. If I don't write to them I will just ask when I go there for the reading of the will so there's no need to research anything for me but thatnk you for the offer. _

_So my 'family' have all gone to the seaside for a few days. They won't be back until Sunday! A whole three days without them breathing down my neck, it's going to be awesome! _

_You'll be so proud Hermione, I finished my History of Magic essay already. I am not sure how good it is, you know how I struggle with the dates and all that. I don't suppose you would be prepared to check it for me on the train? I would offer to help check one of your essays but let's be honest, I would be more likely to lower your grade that raise it. _

_Don't work too hard!_

_Harry Potter_

With a nod of his head, Harry folded the parchment up and proceeded to call his familiar over to him. After feeding her a few treats he tied the note to her leg and sent her on her way back to Hermione.

. . .

It was an interesting few days for young Mr Potter. He slept in, ate a leisurely breakfast and had a shower all before he even started on the long list left to him by his Aunt. Having done a lot of these jobs many times before Harry was a lot quicker than his family gave him credit for. He tidied, washed, polished, cleaned, scrubbed and vacuumed with ease. Add to that the fact that his Uncle and Aunts' weren't around to nag him for '_missing a spot' _or '_not doing it right'_ Harry was a happy boy. At mid-day he ate a light lunch and after more chores cooked a healthy, yet filling, dinner for himself each evening.

Knowing what he did about his family, Harry believed that they may try and punish him for some make-believe misdemeanour when they returned from their trip. Harry could handle the _punishment_ that his Uncle delivered. It was probably one of the reasons that Harry was as unaffected by pain as he was. It was never pleasant, but it was less painful than the cruciatus curse and even that was bearable for a small amount of time.

The one thing that Harry could not stand, however, was the withdrawal of food. Before he had started at Hogwarts it was just another part of his Uncle's _punishment _regime and Harry learned to live with it. Now though, after eating well for 9 months, it was a torture like no other to go without for more than two days. It was this frightening thought, and this thought alone, that made Harry raid the cupboards on the Sunday morning, picking out short dated or just out of date non-perishables and hide them under the loose floorboard in his bedroom. By mid-day Harry was happy with his haul and spent the next two hours making his way from room to room making sure that everything was as it should be.

. . .

I was almost 3pm when the Dursley's car pulled up in the driveway. As the front door opened, Harry could hear the happy and excited chatter and hoped that he had done enough for it to remain that way.

All was well, or so it seemed, when by dinnertime Harry had heard nothing from his relatives. Deeming it safe, Harry made his way downstairs to get some food for himself. He couldn't have them knowing that he had some stored away, plus he may need to dip into it throughout the rest of the summer and he didn't want to deplete it too soon. He didn't think that he would get a chance to re-stock.

"Did you have a nice time?" Harry asked as he walked into the kitchen and made his way to the table. Sitting down at the only available space, Harry sat patiently for his Aunt to dish him his '_rations'_.

"That we did boy." Said his Uncle as he cut into one of his pork chops. "That we did! Did you complete the list that your Aunt left you?"

Alarm bells started ringing in his head. They knew something and Harry didn't like not knowing what he had done wrong. Looking around he noticed that his Aunt had not made a move to fill his plate and was instead looking down at her own, silent and straight backed. Dudley, as usual, was too busy eating to notice the incoming altercation and Marge was sat watching him, a smirk on her chubby face.

"Yes Uncle Vernon." Harry said trying to keep his voice level.

"Ah good good. You didn't do anything that you shouldn't have did you boy?"

"No Uncle Vernon." Maintaining an innocent air and a questioning gaze Harry stayed stock still. If he fidgeted, the inaudible war would be lost.

"Are you sure boy?" said his Uncle. "If you tell me the truth now, your punishment won't be so bad."

Damn, thought Harry. Thinking back over the previous few days Harry tried to think of what he had done. He knew he had put the VHS tapes back after watching them. My goodness those 'Carry On' films were truly hilarious! He could understand why his family owned so many and frequently sat down to watch one after dinner. The food could be an issue but they would normally leave orders on what he could or couldn't eat. As they hadn't Harry had enjoyed a stable diet but had stuck, for the most part, to using the perishables that would not last for when his relatives came home.

"I don't know what you-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME YOU LITTLE THIEF!" yelled Vernon, standing up faster than Harry believed possible for the obese man, spittle flying from his lips.

Harry sat, frozen, his mind registering only one word. He was certainly no thief, he had never stolen anything. Well, except the food that was hidden upstairs. Maybe that was what this was about? The anger rolling off his Uncle made Harry doubt this somehow. Before Harry could even begin denying the allegation, his Uncle had begun once more.

"AFTER ALL WE HAVE DONE FOR YOU, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SCUM, THIS IS HOW YOU RETURN THE FAVOUR!" his tone was harsh, his voice so loud it was terrifying. Even Dudley had stopped eating and was staring at his father in fear, his fork hanging limply from his meaty hand as it made its way to his open mouth. Vernon continued on, this time dangerously low and that was when Harry himself became frightened. "I gave you a chance boy, a chance to tell us the truth! That was the only opportunity I am willing to give you and now I am going to make you pay."

Harry gulped and started edging away from the table. His Aunt had yet to move and was still staring at her plate, her expression blank.

"I am going to take that money out of your ass boy! Marjorie, GRAB HIM!"

Harry felt his Aunt Marge's pudgy arms encircle him and drag him towards his now purpling Uncle. His cousin Dudley made his way out of the kitchen, his frightened eyes never leaving his father's bulk until he reached the front door. As Harry was brought before his Uncle he saw, out of the corner of his eyes, Dudley's figure as he left through the door, closing it quietly. Seeing no help forthcoming from his Aunt Petunia Harry decided the only option left to him was to beg.

"Please Uncle Vernon I never-" Poor Harry didn't get to finish his sentence as the large fist of his Uncle connected with his jaw. He would have fell were it not for the arms restraining him.

"I don't like liars and I don't like thieves boy." Vernon said, this time bringing his fist into his nephew's stomach making him double over. "I've been too soft on you obviously, but no more! I will make you regret ever crossing me!"

Harry lost count as the hits continued to rain down on him. With Aunt Marge detaining him he couldn't even bring his arms up to protect himself.

"Please Uncle! Please!" came the fearful cry from the bruised teen.

"There will be no mercy!" said Vernon with another right-hook.

The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was his Uncle's laboured breathing and Marjorie Dursley's insane laughter.

. . .

Meanwhile, outside Number 4 Privet Drive under a borrowed invisibility cloak, was a middle aged wizard by the name of Mundungus Fletcher. He stood, swaying slightly, next to Petunia's prized rose bushes. Instead of informing the Order, namely one Albus Dumbledore, of the disturbing noises coming from the inside of the house, Mundungus proceeded to count his rather blurry fingers before losing consciousness and falling atop the aforementioned rose bushes. The amount of alcohol currently in his system was incredibly numbing to the feel of the thorns pushing into his side as he lay there, snoring and drooling like the drunkard he truly was.

As dawn broke, Mundungus awoke to the feel of the sun on his face. Standing abruptly he looked down at his watch and was pleased to note that there was still 15 minutes until another Order member came to relieve him. Tidying himself as best as he could and removing the stench of fire whiskey with a well-practised swish of his wand, he stood awaiting the next guard, all memory of the previous night's commotion forgotten.

There would be no rescue party for the hero of the wizarding world, and the knowledge of his _punishment _would remain unknown by all of those claiming to protect him.

**Author's Note**

This is my longest chapter to date and I hope you are all still enjoying the story. I have taken my reviews to heart and tried my best to correct my previous mistakes. Keep reading and reviewing, after all, these reviews are what make me want to write to the best of my ability.

* I am disappointed by some readers quickness to judge my story. I hope that you will wait until the following chapter before completely damning my story. Violence is not something that I in anyway endorse and I now wish I had waited and uploaded chapters 5 and 6 together to save the hassle. There is a reason for Vernon's reaction and a reason behind my choice of including the beating. Hopefully you guys can wait and read the next chapter where a lot of this chapter will be explained.


	6. Chapter 6

Laying on his bed, curled into the foetal position, a dark haired teen slept fitfully. His dreams were about death and pain, darkness and torture. It was his sixth sense for danger that told him someone was in his room. Unknowing whether that someone was there to harm him, Harry curled himself up further, wincing at the pressure placed on his bruised ribs.

"I won't hurt you, you know." Came the unusually gentle voice of his cousin.

Confused, Harry unrolled just enough to turn his head in the directing of said voice. The quickly indrawn breath was all that Harry needed to know how bad his face must have looked.

"Dad really did a number on you, huh?"

A choking cough that he had intended to be a laugh was all the response that Harry could muster. The pain was intense and as he struggled to reach his water bottle to soothe his raw throat, his cousin stepped forward and passed it to him. Harry would have raised his eyebrow had he been able. As it was he couldn't open his left eye and his right was almost completely sealed shut. He could see just enough to make out the basic shape of his cousin and the lip of the bottle presented to him.

Harry drank slowly, the cold water quenching his thirst and cooling his throat. After he had drank his fill he tried to speak, curiosity winning over his immediate response to hide.

"Let me get mum, she told me to get her when you woke up."

Before Harry could beg his cousin to just leave him be, Dudley had made his way out of the room and he could already hear his thumping footsteps as he made his way down the stairs. Deciding to get himself into a less vulnerable position, Harry spent the next few minutes shimmying himself slowly into a sitting position, propped up by the wall with his legs dangling off the side of the bed.

Just as he had gotten himself comfortable, well as comfortable as he could get, his Aunt Petunia walked into the room. Her face was pale and seemed even thinner than normal.

"I'm glad you're finally awake." She didn't look at him as she spoke, instead choosing to look at a small area of floor in front of his bed. Harry couldn't decide if she was worried about him personally or what '_his kind'_ would do if he didn't wake up.

"How long have I been out?" was Harry's question. His voice was gruff and his throat constricted painfully once he had finished. Trying to ward off another coughing fit he didn't see his Aunt move towards him, rather he felt the bed dip as she sat at the foot of it, the water bottle from before held out towards him.

"You've been out cold since after dinner last night. It's just after 3pm now." His Aunt replied.

Harry nodded his head in understanding. He had been genuinely afraid of his uncle for the first time in his life last night. His Uncle's punishments had always been painful but normally no worse than a dozen or so hard slaps over his bottom and top of his thighs with a leather belt. God how that used to sting! Harry used to curl up on his cot in the cupboard under the stairs and cry, wondering when the pain was going to stop, when the blisters and welts would fade. The rest of his punishment was usually a lot of extra chores and a lack of food for several days. But last night! Harry shivered.

He didn't know what he had done that had upset his Uncle to that extent. Sure he knew that Vernon had a temper, he had always been quick to anger especially when the 'M' word was brought up. Even so, last night Harry had actually believed that he was going to die. Even Voldemort had never frightened Harry as much as his Uncle had last night. He knew that his Aunt Marge hated him but he never would have thought that she had such an evil streak in her that she would hold him still while he was beaten. Remembering the night before had caused Harry to tense and his already tender ribs were throbbing painfully. One thing that stood out in his mind was the fact that his Aunt, the same one who sat on his bed not daring to look at him, had not helped him. She had just sat there and let Vernon do his worst. Lifting his head to stare at her, his eyes hard and his voice firm Harry's patience ended and he began to rant.

"You just sat there." Harry saw his Aunt cringe slightly but he was either too upset to notice or too angry to care. "You saw what they were doing to me and you just sat there! How could you do that to me? Do you hate me that much? I know you never loved me, heck I don't think you ever even liked me but to just sit there while he…they." All of a sudden Harry was overcome and he started to cry, great heaving sobs that hurt so much more when you took into account his new injuries.

His Aunt sat on the end of the bed, her body tense. She sat through his rant, shrinking in on herself with every other word. In the end she sat, nervously, her fingers playing fretfully with the hem of her peach, woollen cardigan.

She let her nephew cry but didn't attempt to comfort him knowing that even in his highly emotional state that he would not want any comfort from her at this moment in time. Eventually the sobs slowed to hiccups and then they in-turn became sniffles. Waiting a further few minutes to make sure that Harry was spent, his Aunt then began to speak, barely audibly at first but gaining strength slowly throughout.

"You're right." Petunia said with a grimace. "I never did love you. I, we, thought of you as a burden."

Harry felt empty. It was one thing to believe something to be true but something else entirely to find out that it actually was.

"When Dudley came along we were so happy, so proud. He was a perfect little boy and even then we knew that we would spoil him rotten and bring him up never wanting for anything." His Aunt graciously ignored the snort that came from Harry's direction and instead continued speaking, her confidence growing with each sentence. She knew what she was going to say was going to be hard for both of them, but at the same time she realise that it had been left unsaid for too long. "When your mother was young she looked up to me. I was her big sister, her 'Tuney'. Then she met that boy!" Petunia Dursley's face screwed up in disgust and Harry knew he had to speak up for his parents.

"My father was a great man!" He shouted.

"Yes I am sure he may very well have been but it is not him that I was referring too. Your mother didn't meet your father until she started at that blasted school for freaks." Harry bit his lip hard, trying to reign in his temper. "No I am referring to the boy that first told your mother what she was." Petunia rose from the bed and started pacing the floor of his bedroom, her posture straight and her tone sharp. "Severus Snape!" She didn't hear her nephew's gasp as she mentioned the name and instead continued, almost without pause. "That boy! That, that _freak_! He took my sister away from me without a moment's pause, not caring what it would do to us. That _freak _destroyed our relationship and then proceeded to shove it in my face. He was a _wizard_ and Lily was a _witch_ and I was nothing but a lowly, common _muggle_!" She hissed out the final few words, rage evident but a sadness was obvious in her eyes. Harry listened, riveted as his Aunt's cold shell cracked and her history, her pain, flowed freely.

Petunia stopped pacing and wrapped her arms around herself. "Our parents' were so happy when Lily got her letter. After that, nothing I did was ever good enough or _special _enough to warrant more than their fleeting attention. A compliment here, a well done and a pat on the shoulder there, but Lily was showered with praise. I could never compete. How does someone _normal _like me ever compete with someone like your mother. She came home from school each summer and regaled mum and dad with stories of turning hedgehogs into pincushions and making light shine from nothing. I would come home and have scored high on a spelling test, there was just never anything that I could do to get our parents attention back. From the day she went to that school, I was never good enough."

Harry thought that he could finally understand some of his Aunt's coldness towards him. He was the ultimate reminder that she was never 'good enough' in her parent's eyes. He listened carefully as she continued.

"As soon as I could I left home and took-part in a typing course and then managed to get a clerical job where I met Vernon. He was so ordinary which was just what I wanted, what I needed. Your Uncle has always had a temper. When I first introduced him to your mum and dad he went ballistic and made us leave after your father started talking about money. Your Uncle Vernon thought that your dad was poor as he kept going on about this new '_racing broom' _that he had recently purchased and when he found out that they were actually rather well off, well, pride has always been important to my husband." Harry nodded in understanding. "When Vernon proposed I forbade Lily from being my bridesmaid. Looking back, it was a silly thing to do but I was still struggling to be my own person and I was afraid that she would overshadow me on my wedding day. Like all brides, I wanted to be the one everyone fawned over and complimented. Lily was always so beautiful."

As she spoke of her sister Petunia began to cry. Tears ran down her face unabashedly but she did not wipe them away. Something told Harry that when she mentioned his mum being beautiful she was not only talking of her looks. Harry felt his stomach roll as he realised what his Aunt had had to live with most of her life. Harry knew what it was like to not feel good enough and how it can eat you up inside. He also understood, on some level, her desire to protect Dudley from feeling the way she had. Unfortunately, Petunia had gone too far in the other direction and had spoilt her son so much that for a long time Dudley could do no wrong. If it hadn't been for his run-in with the dementors' the previous year Harry didn't think that there would be any hope for his cousin.

"I didn't really see your mother after that. I didn't go to her wedding; I didn't want to know whether hers was better than mine. I wanted to remember my parent's response to my special day and I knew that I couldn't handle the looks on their faces as Lily would have walked down the aisle. It was foolish and I regretted it the moment I sent back the refusal. I didn't hear from Lily again until she sent me a letter when you were born, she was so proud. I didn't even reply. Then we found you on our doorstep on the 1st of November 1981 and we had to take you in. Neither Vernon or myself wanted you to taint Dudley with your _freakishness_ but that bastard Dumbledore left a letter with you making sure we realised that there wasn't really a choice in the matter." Petunia resumed her pacing once more, tension obvious in her posture. "Bloody Dumbledore! I have never known such a manipulative old man than Albus bloody Dumbledore."

Harry was confused. One minute his Aunt was talking about his mum and _Snape_ and the next thing he knew the headmaster was being brought into it.

"Why is Dumbledore manipulative?" Asked Harry as his Aunt continued to fume silently by the window.

"That man, that…BASTARD forced us to take you in. As I said, we didn't want your m…m…magic to affect our little Dudder's and yet when we tried to give you back the 'great man' himself came and threatened us with death!"

Harry gulped, an automatic reaction to hearing that a man he had once trusted, perhaps even considered a surrogate grandfather, had threatened to kill his only living relatives. "He was going to kill you?"

"Huh? Oh, no not him! He would never dirty his hands with something so macabre. No he told us that there was a special protection over us as long as you lived here. Some blood warble or something. He said that if we refused to have you live here that the same people that killed your mother, my sister, would kill us too. We had to take you after that, I am sure that he was basically telling us that if we didn't have you live with us that somehow our address would suddenly be known to those terrorists or whoever they were. That man never truly seemed anything but kindly until that moment. After that day I get the shivers whenever I even think about him. Vernon told me I was being silly, especially after the first payment arrived but I still wasn't ever comfortable being around you. What had a one year old done that was so bad that people threatened to kill us over you."

Sitting on the bed, Harry was getting more confused as this conversation continued. To be honest, this was the longest conversation that he had ever actually had with his Aunt and certainly the most honest. He wasn't sure whether his Aunt Petunia had actually intended to tell him all of this or just check that he was still alive and not going anywhere. "Wait a second…what do you mean the 'first payment'?"

His Aunt looked caught off guard for a second and looked like she was genuinely surprised. "The payments we got once a month to look after you. That's what last night was about! The money was missing!" Petunia crossed the room and sat opposite Harry on the wooden desk chair. "Each month since you came to us we have had an envelope come to us with £500 in cash. It always came via normal post, none of that 'owl' nonsense. There was always a note with it that said 'Don't forget – A.D' and I don't understand how he thought we could with you floating things around the house at all times of the day. That's why we put you in the cupboard, less things for you to float around. You used to steal Dudley's toys from him and his food too! We couldn't have that so Vernon decided that the only way to rid you of this would be to treat it as any other bad behaviour. At first you would be put in the corner, but that didn't do anything to curb your _freakishness, _so next we tried smacks. That had somewhat of an effect so we continued with it. We thought we had finally succeeded before that bloody letter came. We kept up the punishments just in case, we didn't want you to start doing it again."

Harry was not sure how they could call a wallop with a belt a 'smack' but he wasn't going to question that. He was more angry that they had been given money for his upbringing and yet he wore his cousin's oversized hand-me-downs and barely got anything to eat. Harry voiced his thoughts and his Aunt snorted in response.

"Please! Do you expect us to spend good money on you? You had a roof over your head, we sent you to school, you had food in your belly and we taught you the meaning of hard work!"

Hard work was certainly right! Harry had been doing the majority share of the chores and renovations since he could walk. Whether it was cooking dinner, cleaning the bath, ironing the clothes or painting the shed, Harry had been made to do it or else starve. Technically his Aunt was right, but by normal, moral standards, he had been neglected and abused. Harry had often argued with Dumbledore about being sent back to the Dursely's each summer. No matter what he said about his life, Dumbledore would just say that Harry had 'misunderstood' or that it was 'understandable to be unhappy when we don't have everything we want' but he had never truly listened to what Harry had said. He had always believed that Dumbledore thought he was exaggerating but maybe, with what his Aunt told him, maybe he already knew and just didn't care. Trying to push away those negative thoughts Harry asked his Aunt an important question. "What do you mean the money was missing? Where did it go?"

"Only your Uncle Vernon and myself had access to the safe we kept the money in. I wanted to put it in the bank but your uncle wouldn't even think about it. He didn't want any questions about where the money was coming from which is valid, don't get me wrong, but all it takes is one mistake and all the money is gone. You know the safe in our wardrobe?"

Harry thought hard but couldn't think what his Aunt meant.

"Just under your uncles trouser's and next to his wellies." Supplied his Aunt.

"Ohhh! Yes I remember, the black one with all the buttons?"

"We use Dudley's birthday as the combination. I tried to tell him that we should pick random numbers but he said that Dudley's birthday was perfect because it was so obvious no one would think of it. Honestly he can be very thick at times."

Harry resisted rolling his eyes before he even felt the disapproving glare of his Aunt.

"Well somehow all the money is gone. I tried to tell him that you wouldn't even know that there was money in there and that you would never be stupid enough but he thought I had been 'bewitched' by you or some such rot. It didn't help that Marge was constantly pushing your uncle's buttons. Hmm, come to think of it she was in our room just before we left for our weekend at the coast." Harry could practically see the cogs going round in his Aunt's head. "She said we had left the window open but I am sure I shut them all before I closed up. No she wouldn't do such a thing, but…"

Harry hated to be the bearer of bad news but felt that he had no choice. "Your wardrobe was open when I went in to polish; I just figured you didn't close it after packing." He finished with a shrug that led to another coughing fit. The pain was incredible but another gulp of water helped ease the soreness in his throat and by doing so, the pressure on his ribs.

"But how would she know? I mean Vernon wouldn't be so stupid as to…?" Petunia wrinkled up her brow. "That silly fool did always like to brag. I can't even report the money as stolen because we 'technically' never received it. I mean, there's no reports, no bank statements, nothing. We were going to buy house in Spain for our retirement with that money." Petunia whined.

Although he was finding it increasingly difficult Harry ignored his Aunt's pain at losing such a hefty amount of money. They had looked after him for almost 10 years and had been getting £6000 a year for his care. The fact that almost none of it had ever been spent on him was a sore point for Harry who would have loved a few clothes that fitted him and 3 good meals a day. The chores he could handle and up until last night he had always accepted his uncles form of punishment without question but now that his uncle had resorted to utter violence, the thought of staying here for another two years was terrifying. Harry was broken out of his musing by the sound of the telephone. He sat still, staring at his Aunt who seemed to still be bemoaning the loss of the money more than the broken mess that was her nephew.

"MUM!" Dudley shouted up the stairs making Harry wince. "DADS ON THE PHONE!"

"COMING DUDDER'S" shouted Petunia in response before making her way out the door.

Harry sat there in silence for a few minutes trying to take everything in. He had never found his Aunt to be dishonest as such but she had a way of skirting the truth to her advantage. He was slightly confused by the past conversation however, as she had seemed incredibly agitated and seemed to vent rather than talk. If that was the case Harry was not sure what to believe. Why would she say that Dumbledore had threatened them? Was it a mistake in communications or was the headmaster aware that he had frightened the Dursley's so? Also, where was the headmaster getting £500 a month to give to his Aunt and Uncle. Harry knew from the previous year and his ensuing trial for underage magic that the headmaster held a lot of titles. He didn't know how much the man got paid for those jobs, perhaps he was wealthy and thought that this was a way to ensure that Harry grew up well looked after. If that was the case he had failed miserably. Also, had Marge really stolen the money? Harry had never really liked her but he didn't want to believe that she could con her own brother.

"Hey."

Harry couldn't help but flinch at the sound of his cousin's voice. For a second he had thought his Uncle was back and was going to hurt him again, so lost in his own little bubble was he.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump." Dudley replied, scuffing his shoes on the carpet. The move was so childlike that Harry couldn't help the giggle that escaped him.

"S'allright Dud. I was just…thinking." Harry said, unconsciously protecting his ribs with his arms.

"'Bout?" came the honestly curious reply as his cousin entered the bedroom more fully.

With a sigh Harry motioned for his cousin to sit down. "I don't want to go into details, to be honest I haven't taken all of it in yet and I only have your mum's version so far, I don't want to just assume that everyone else is bad just because she says so. No offence." Harry added as an afterthought.

"None taken." Dudley replied with a shrug. "I guess we've never really given you a reason to believe us so far. I'd be worried that Dad did more damage than we originally thought if you had suddenly believed everything we said." Even though it was obviously an attempt at humour, Dudley could see that his joke fell flat and apologised immediately. "You don't have to worry about Dad anymore. At least, not for a while."

That got Harry's attention. "What do you mean?"

His cousin ran his hand nervously through the hair at the back of his neck, his shoulders slumped and his voice reaffirmed his sadness. "When Dad started shouting last night I…I knew it was going to be different. There was this…feeling…I can't explain it but I was terrified of what he would do. Not just to you, to me, to any of us. I left, I went out for a walk. I don't think I was gone more than twenty minutes. I kept thinking I would come back to find Mum bruised and bloody and you…dead!" The last word was whispered and Harry felt a warmth in his chest at his cousins slight admittance that he worried about him. Caring was caring, no matter how messed up. "When I got home, you were lying on the kitchen floor and mum was stood over you shouting at dad and Aunt Marge. Screaming at them to get out and never come back. Next thing I know they're driving off with a suitcase each in the car. Guess dad's at Aunt Marge's house but I'm not sure." Dudley didn't seem saddened by this, in fact, Harry could almost sense relief.

Without either of their notice, Petunia Dursley had re-entered the bedroom having just gotten off the phone with her husband.

"Your father won't be back before the end of summer and not then either unless he works on his temper." His Aunt spoke to Dudley, not him, and her tone was sharp. Harry was sure whatever had been said during that telephone conversation had not been good but he didn't want to pry. "He doesn't believe that his sister would steal from us. He still thinks you stole the money."

Stunned, Harry gaped at his Aunt. His Uncle could be an idiot sometimes, that was for sure. "Do you think I stole the money?" he asked slowly.

"No. I think, as much as I hate to consider it, that Marge likely took it. She recently admitted to having 'debts' but I am still shocked that she would steal from her own family."

Harry bit his tongue from stating the obvious. That _they _had quite happily stolen from him the money that Dumbledore had given to make sure Harry had all that he required. It was probably a good thing he held his tongue as looking at his Aunt now she seemed to have aged all of a sudden. Her hair seemed to have lost some of its sheen and bounce, her skin seemed pale and taught on her bones. Even Dudley looked like he had seen better days.

"I'm really sorry Aunt Petunia." He didn't know why he felt the need to apologise, or what he was actually apologising for but it seemed to be what his Aunt had needed to hear.

"Never mind, everything will work itself out, right Dudder's?"

Dudley nodded, his chins wobbling in determination.

"Why don't you lie down hmm?" She said to Harry. "I'll go make some soup." Harry gawked after his Aunt's retreating form and frowned as he heard his cousin chuckle from beside him.

Grumbling at himself, Harry struggled but eventually lay himself down in a position that was almost pain free.

"I'll get you some pain-killers." Dudley said as he stood abruptly from the bed. Harry nodded his thanks as he masked his pain.

This was going to be a strange summer and he hadn't even been back for two weeks yet. He didn't know what was going to happen but decided he could only wait and see and make the best of it. As he waited for his tablet's to arrive his brain mulled over his conversations with his Aunt and Dudley and even though he had more questions than answers he knew that he had to tread carefully. He would get his chance, he hoped, at the will reading but some part of Harry was telling him that he really didn't want answers to some of his questions.

Dudley waddled back into the room and handed Harry 2 small capsules and a glass of fresh water. Swilling the tablet's down Harry thanked his cousin and lay his head back against the pillow. With a sigh Harry closed his some-what good eye and tried to calm his thoughts. He barely heard Dudley as he left the room and closed the door. Before long the pain-killers started to take effect and Harry sighed in relief. When his Aunt Petunia came back with his soup she found Harry asleep and took the soup away again but not before taking a long look at her peaceful nephew.

All that she kept thinking was that it could have been her Dudley laying their bruised and battered. Vernon had gone too far and she would make sure her baby was safe. If Vernon wasn't willing to change, she would make sure he never stepped foot in her house again.

**Authors Note**

I struggled with this chapter as I wanted to make the conversation as near to what I believe the characters to be. I tried to make it so that Petunia comes across as caring, but not deliberately for Harry, rather for Dudley with Harry just being there. It was hard to write as there was so much I wanted to include but I didn't want to overload the chapter and make it unreadable. The main thing I wanted to do was make sure that people realised that:

- Yes Harry got beaten badly by his uncle.

- No he has never been beaten like this before.

The next chapter will be more follow-up. I can't have Harry discover everything at once. I need these things to be discovered slowly and come to a head. Lets just say that when I get round to writing the will reading that things will start to get even more interesting!

Please don't forget to review if you like it, even if you don't but please add constructive critisism if that is the case so that I can improve for the next chapters! x


	7. Chapter 7

It had been several days since Harry had spoken to his Aunt. Several days since the bruises and swelling had begun to recede and Harry was starting to be able to move without flinching. He had been staying in his room alone for the most part, trying to keep to himself, although his cousin had surprised him by inviting him to watch a movie.

One and a half hours later and Harry still couldn't believe what he had seen. Some kid named Marty had ended up in the past. Dudley had even promised to let him watch the sequels when he could convince his mum to buy them for him on VHS. They sat there discussing the movie and their favourite bits, Harry liked the hover-board although he knew his broom was better, and Dudley loved the chases. Aunt Petunia watched on from the doorway, an odd look on her thin face.

Eventually she broke them up and told Harry in no uncertain terms to go wash up. As he headed towards the downstairs toilet he was told that bending over a sink would hurt his ribs and to 'go use the shower for heaven's sake'. Not wanting to try his luck Harry rushed up the stairs and into the bathroom.

Standing under the hot spray was absolute heaven. His aching muscles and bruised ribs felt better and he felt cleaner and healthier in general. He didn't realise he was as dirty as he was. As he scrubbed away the grime as firmly as his ribs allowed he thought back on the past few days.

His Aunt had been, well, not nicer per say but definitely more relaxed around him. He had been called down for meals and for once he hadn't had to make any of them. He had been given a full portion each time too. His cousin had seemed to have been coming around before the whole 'Uncle Vernon' thing but now seemed to treat him no different to how he treated his friend Piers except that there was always an underlying tension there. Harry doubted it would disappear by the end of summer, they simply had too much of an awkward history to just become friends but it was definitely a start.

Quickly washing his hair Harry finished up his shower and began to dry off using one of the fluffy, cream towels that Aunt Petunia left in the bathroom. He figured that if she was letting him use the shower, she was probably expecting him to use the towels too. Walking into his room, one towel around his waist and another around his neck as he gently towel dried his hair Harry sighed at the sight of the still empty perch.

Harry had expected Hermione to write back to him by now. He missed reading something by someone who cared for him and he knew as sure as he knew that the sky was blue or water wet that Hermione cared for him just as he cared for her.

He was disappointed that Ron hadn't written to him yet but it had only been just over a week and goodness knows what Mrs Weasley had them doing. Maybe Ron was angry at him? Harry bit his lip, pushing those thoughts away as best as he could. He didn't know what Ron's feelings were and there was no way he could know unless Ron wrote to him or he wrote to Ron. Harry decided that when Hedwig returned he would write a letter to his red-haired friend and try and find out where he stood.

There was one other thing that was bothering Harry. He knew that he had been beaten badly, he had the bruises and aches to prove it but he also knew that he supposedly had a guard from the order outside his house at all times of the day '_for his protection_'. Knowing that when his Uncle got mad he tended to be quite vocal he couldn't help but wonder why no one had helped him. Protection from death eaters was great and all but what good would any of that have been if his Uncle had finished the job for them?

He hadn't even seen any of them as they kept themselves hidden one way or another. Maybe that was why no one had helped him? No one had actually been there. He had no way of testing for an invisible person. No '_accio invisibility cloak' _or_ 'point-me'_ spell could be cast while Harry was at home for the summer due to the underage magic restrictions that the Ministry upheld. Maybe they just didn't care about him? Maybe Dumbledore had told them to just ignore him. Harry didn't know what to believe about the old man since he had spoken to his Aunt a few days previously. He still couldn't decide if the headmaster would have threatened his Aunt and Uncle or if they just took it that way. Harry was the first to admit that where magic or wizards were involved his relatives had a habit of seeing and hearing the worst possible scenario. Even so, this was the same man who had ignored him the previous year which had led to Harry rushing into one of Voldemort's traps in the bowels of the Ministry of Magic. The same man who had then forced Harry back to his office and locked him inside instead of letting him be with his friends and surrogate family. The same man who had then regaled him with the knowledge of a prophecy that included him squaring up against Voldemort, a wizard much more powerful and dangerous than a mere school child. The same man who, knowing of this prophecy for many years had proceeded to leave him in an unsafe and uncaring environment year after year and yet claimed that the power to love would be the '_power he knows not'._ The same man who had given him no training so that when the time came to face Voldemort he had at least a chance of winning or at best surviving.

Harry knew that the only reason he had escaped death when facing Voldemort in the past was, as his head of house McGonagall had once said: sheer dumb luck.

Harry decided that there was no point in trying to figure the aged headmaster out while stuck at his relatives, it would just drive him insane guessing and re-hashing old events and memories. He did however; decide to keep an eye out for order members, there were a few questions he had for them.

. . .

Harry had almost fully recovered, at least on the outside, from his Uncle's attack. He had also been feeling a lot more accepted at home to the point where he would actually talk to his Aunt and cousin about the magical world and being a wizard. He told them about the prophecy and why Lily and James had been targeted by Voldemort. He found that they actually had quite a lot of questions, well Dudley did, Harry was actually surprised at how much knowledge his Aunt Petunia had remembered about magic.

He had also kept an eye out but still had not seen any sign that there was anyone guarding the house. Deciding to try his luck now that his bruises were mostly gone Harry stepped outside, deciding on a walk to the local park.

He had not been gone for long when there was a noise behind him. Spinning around Harry kept his wand hidden up his sleeve but ready to cast if the need arose.

"Wotcher Harry, good reflexes!" came the voice of Nymphadora Tonks or just Tonks as she preferred to go by.

"Hi Tonks, um, where are you?"

"Oh right!" After a few seconds she pulled off the invisibility cloak and smiled brightly at Harry. "So how you been?"

Ignoring her question Harry posed one of his own. "Not that I mind; I will admit it's nice to see you of course," she smiled. "But why are you talking to me? Weren't Dumbledore's orders to stay hidden or something?"

Tonks snorted and her hair turned a bright shade of bubble-gum pink. "What happened to your face?" she asked pointing to the slightly yellow tinge around Harry's eyes and jaw.

Harry decided not to reply and instead posed his next question. He was still upset about the order not coming to help him as he now knew that they were definitely watching him. "Who was on duty last Sunday?" he asked politely.

"Um let me think…" she tilted her head and bit her lip. Blushing, Harry looked away. "I think it was Mundungus Fletcher last Sunday. Yeah, Remus was on duty Monday and we have a sort of rota thing going. Yup, Mundungus. Why?"

"Just curious. You mentioned Professor Lupin was a guard, who else is there watching me?"

"Well there's me obviously," she winked at him and Harry smiled back, still pink in the cheeks. "Remus, Mad-Eye, Mundungus Fletcher, Dedalus Diggle, Kingsley Shacklebolt and a few others but to be honest it's mostly the ones I said before." She shrugged. "I don't think there were a lot of takers but Dumbledore insisted that you were watched. Several of us thought you could handle yourself well enough but he was adamant."

Harry stood stiffly for a moment as his brain took in the information. Most of the guard were people that Harry was relatively sure were trustworthy although he didn't personally know Dedalus Diggle. Tonks was always nice to him, as was Professor Remus Lupin his Ex Defence against the Dark Arts teacher from his third year at Hogwarts. He knew Kingsley was an Auror and a darn good one at that and he knew of Mundungus Fletcher from his predicament the previous year with the dementors.

According to Sirius, Mundungus had abandoned his post as guard to make a deal on some cauldron's that had apparently fallen off the back of a broom. That had led to Harry's trial as he had had to perform under-age magic to save himself and his cousin. The fact that this same man had been the guard on the very night that he had almost been beaten to death made Harry very angry and start to question his loyalty to the headmaster and the loyalty of Dumbledore to him. How the headmaster could put a man in charge of his safety, one that had already proved that his petty crime activities were higher on his list of priorities was beyond Harry. The last name was also one that made him angry, Mad-eye Moody. Harry knew that Moody had a magical eye that could see through anything and so he wondered how he had not seen the state that Harry was in.

Harry snapped back to reality when Tonks tapped him on the forehead. "Hellooo, is anyone in there?"

"Oops sorry Tonks I was thinking."

"'Bout what?" asked the now green haired Auror.

Not wanting to tell the Auror of his wavering loyalties he decided to try a different tack. "Sirius."

Harry was shocked when the normally bright and bubbly Auror's hair turned black and lengthened almost to her bottom. It was limp and she now resembled Snape more than anything, it was quite disconcerting. Her face was pale and her eyes sad. Harry felt terrible for bringing up the subject but worse for not realising what an effect it would have on the young woman in front of him. She was a blood relative, even if her family had been cast-out. The bubbly personality and the colourful hair were a cover and Harry was ashamed that he had not realised this.

"I'm sorry Tonks."

Her voice was lacking her usual fervour as she replied. "It's not your fault Harry." She smiled at him, a genuine, soft smile. "I miss him too."

They stood there, both of them silent and unmoving thinking about nothing in particular, taking solace in being around someone that cared about Sirius as much as themselves. For Harry this was a cathartic experience and he couldn't help a sob escaping from his throat. No matter what people said he couldn't help but blame himself. Before he could apologise again he felt strong arms gather him up and he instinctively stiffened. He saw it was Tonks holding him and she was also crying. He could feel her sobs as she held onto him for dear life, her tears dripping onto the top of his head. He absently wondered if she had been holding it in as much as he had.

They continued to cry for a while, clinging to each other for comfort. Harry had never felt this secure in his entire life and could feel the burden becoming lighter knowing that Tonks really, genuinely, didn't blame him. The fact that they could mourn together, sharing their pain, was like a balm for his aching soul.

After a minute or two, Tonks finally pulled away from the hug. Both of them felt more vulnerable yet, at the same time, more comfortable with each other, it was a very odd feeling. Tonks' hair was still black but was once again in her short, spiky style. There were tear tracks on her face but she seemed more at peace, her expression less pained than it had been. Harry knew without a mirror that he must look a state. He subconsciously wiped at his face with his sleeve.

"You really should go back to your Aunt and Uncle's house Harry. Dumbledore told us to keep you there as much as possible. With Voldemort officially back he won't stop at anything to get at you. I shouldn't really have let you come here but I figured you might need a change of scenery, a bit of fresh air yeah?"

This was interesting. So they didn't know his Uncle was no longer living there or was it just the guard that didn't know? Did Dumbledore know how bad it had gotten at Number 4? Moody must be able to see that Vernon was no longer there. There were so many questions and Harry wasn't sure how he was going to get the answers.

"Ok Tonks, I will make my way back now. You coming with?"

"Yeah I will follow on behind but I better use this." She lifted her arm with the invisibility cloak and proceeded to cover herself in it. "Off you go Harry. I guess I will see you at the will reading. Dumbledore thinks it will be too dangerous but Remus and I are trying to get him to allow you to be there. It's as near to a funeral, to closure, as we can get without the body."

With a nod and a sad smile Harry walked back to his Aunt's house. Tonks was right, without a body, a will reading was the closest thing you could get. The goblins' had never read a will without the magical signature that was linked to it fading away. Harry decided to write to Dumbledore and request permission and if he was denied, well maybe his Aunt could be persuaded to take him.

With a small wave behind him Harry entered the house and went to offer his services to his Aunt who was currently arguing with Dudley over his diet.

. . .

It was about four days later when Hedwig made her first appearance in over a week, a letter tied to her leg. Harry dismissed the letter at first and proceeded to coo over his familiar. She, in turn, hooted along affectionately before sticking her leg out for her master to relieve her of her burden.

_Dear Harry,_

_Firstly, of course I will check your essay for you. I am surprised that you even had to ask! I've managed to do a rough draft for all my main classes but I still have a few things that I want to research before I write my final drafts._

_I must admit, I had never really thought about the fact that you don't train with anyone as unusual. I mean, we are only in our sixth year of schooling and they probably worry about us having too many dangerous spells under our belt or something. However, at the same time, we all know that You-Know-Who has it out for you and seems to always find you, well, us. Even if they don't want us to learn serious spells, surely we need more than a stupefy. Hopefully we will get that this year after proving ourselves in the Ministry. A bunch of school kids holding off fully-fledged adult Death Eaters and all getting out relatively unscathed is quite an accomplishment! _

_How were your three days of peace and quiet then Harry? Did you do anything nice or what? I know you don't enjoy being around your relatives but hopefully you won't be there for too long now._

_I wrote to Victor, I hope you don't mind? Hedwig was pretty tired when she got back but I got the feeling she had enjoyed herself. Victor said in his letter that she had eaten her fill of bacon off of his plate. Isn't that cute?! Listen to me, sounding like Lavender or something. Urgh I hope that was just a fluke, better sign off on this before I start using words like 'omigosh' or some other disgraceful use of the English language. Do you mind if I continue to use Hedwig to send my letters to Victor? Let me know okay? Miss you Harry! Keep studying!_

_Lots of Love _

_Hermione x x_

Harry frowned at Hedwig who was sat on her perch, preening. She didn't normally take bacon from anyone but him, it was their thing! He snorted suddenly as he realised his jealousy over bacon. He really needed to get out more.

Deciding to reply to Hermione later on he turned his sights back to his beloved owl.

"Think you can face another flight tonight girl?" he asked gently.

In response Hedwig gave a low hoot and tucked her head under her wing. Taking this for the no it was, Harry decided to write his letter to Dumbledore now ready to send off with Hedwig in the morning.

Digging through his trunk he received a small piece of parchment and sat down to compose his letter to the aged headmaster.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_Hello sir. I was hoping that you could give me some information about something. I received a letter from the Goblins' of Gringotts and I was wondering if I was to make my own way or if I was going to be picked up by someone? I know you know how much going to this means to me. It is my chance at closure and I feel that not going would make the healing process all the more difficult._

_Also, I was wondering how long I need to stay here until I can join Ron and Hermione? Maybe we could combine the two and I can go there after the reading?_

_See you soon professor_

_Harry_

Folding up the note he placed it on the desk ready to send off in the morning.

"Oi Harry, mum's made the popcorn. You better get down here before I eat your share!"

With a smile Harry shouted back "Coming!" and raced downstairs to watch another movie with his cousin. Tonight it had been his choice and Harry had picked 'Big' starring Tom Hanks. Dudley had moaned for about an hour as he had wanted to watch something called 'Die Hard' but Harry liked the idea of a comedy. Even Aunt Petunia had decided to watch the film with them. Dudley had only relented when Aunt Petunia had promised to make popcorn as a special treat for them all.

He sat down on the sofa next to his cousin and grabbed a handful of the sweet treat. Aunt Petunia sat on his right with a small glass of sherry and Dudley sat on his left with a huge bowl filled to the brim with popcorn. He already had a mouthful and a fist was hovering over the bowl protectively. Dudley smiled and shrugged before grabbing another handful just as the titles began to play.

The next morning Harry sent Hedwig off with the letter firmly attached to her leg. He didn't really know what to do with himself while awaiting his response from Dumbledore and instead offered his services to his Aunt who asked him to prune the hedges. So Harry spent the day in the garden carefully shaping the hedges and trimming back the unruly branches. It was relatively hot out and so by the end of the afternoon Harry was hot and sticky but after a cool shower he felt that he had achieved something. Even Aunt Petunia commended him on a job well done and said that he had never done them so well before. Harry figured that it was because he was able to take his time instead of rushing to complete an entire list of jobs. It could also have something to do with the fact that he offered to help and wasn't doing it just to get a meal. It seemed that since Uncle Vernon had left, everyone in the house was able to breathe a little easier.

Late the next morning Hedwig returned with Dumbledore's response. She was tired and yet seemed very proud of herself for delivering her missives so quickly. Harry fetched her a few owl treats and some cold water and placed her in her cage to sleep.

With slightly shaking hands Harry unfolded the parchment and began to read.

_My dear boy, I am genuinely sorry but it has been deemed too much of a risk to have you travel this summer. We may be able to arrange a visit to the burrow on your birthday but the protections at your relatives' home are all the more relevant now that Voldemort has made his presence known. I will send you another letter with Fawkes after the reading has taken place with any pertinent information._

_Take care_

_A.P.W.B.D_

Harry stared at the note in shock. It was true that he had not expected to be allowed to go the will reading but he had hoped that it was just his negativity showing through. But he was holding the proof in his own two hands, Dumbledore was not going to let him attend. What was worse was that it seemed the old man was not going to allow him to spend any time at the burrow with Ron and Hermione. Was he trying to keep him separated or something?

Harry screwed the letter into a ball and tossed it into a corner. Grabbing a fresh sheet of parchment Harry wrote all of his frustrations out in a letter to Hermione and folded it carefully. Feeling his anger pulsing inside of him Harry considered what to do next. He could have cried in all honesty. Just as he was about to curl into a ball on his bed his cousin walked into the room.

"Woah, what's up with you?" asked Dudley frowning as he saw the stern look on his younger cousin's face.

"Bloody Dumbledore!" replied Harry with a growl. "Apparently it's not safe for me to leave the house at all this summer. I'm stuck here!"

Seeing Dudley's hurt expression Harry hastened to add "Don't get me wrong Dud, it's better here for me than it ever has been before but I feel trapped. I can't go out, go shopping, see my friends…just be me!"

Dudley looked thoughtful, which was strange in itself. Harry wasn't sure he liked that look. "I've got an idea!" he announced. "You want to do something, get rid of some energy right?"

Harry nodded.

Dudley walked forward and put one beefy arm around Harry's thin shoulders. "I am going to teach you how to fight."

**Authors Note**

I really struggled with this chapter. I had a lot of messages saying I was going too slow with this story and that my pacing is all wrong but I want an in-depth story not a quick little novel. I want to show the feelings, how they get to where they are going and how they interact with each other.

I also have had less time to write due to work and medical issues. This may hinder the next chapter too, I am going to start it later on tonight but I cannot write as late intot he night as I had been. I will try and get the next chapter up by next week but I will only publish it when I am completely happy with it. No exceptions.


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors Note**

Hopefully I shouldn't need to go into much detail here. I changed a portion of my story and so this chapter begins 2 days prior to the last chapters end. I decided to include a Hermione chapter (yay) and as it was only short I didn't want to mix it in with the Harry part. So yeah, this takes place just after she sends Hedwig back to Harry and ends a little after Harry finding out about Dumbledore banning him from the will reading.

Hermione Granger had just sent Hedwig back to her master and was wondering what to do with herself until the owl's return. She missed Harry and felt terribly that he was practically a prisoner in his own home. It was her wish to save him from his horrible relatives and the beastly Aunt Marge but until she could perform magic legally, her hands were tied.

Victor had been surprised that she had owled him first and it had brought a pleased smile to her face when she had read of his pleasure at receiving her letter. He was apparently doing well but training was taking up a lot of his time. He had invited her to stay with him for a week but somehow she felt like this was a betrayal to Harry. She didn't understand why she felt like that, Harry was just her friend. Ok Harry was her best friend but still, what she chose to do in the summer was her decision and who cared if he wouldn't be happy that she was so far away. She cared.

Truth was, Harry probably wouldn't mind either way. He would want her to do what she wanted and what was best for her, even if it meant hurting himself. Ron would probably be jealous and yell at her, he could be a real jerk sometimes! She had written to Ron when Hedwig had first appeared but he had not replied yet, he always took forever to write a letter. He was probably distracted by a sandwich.

Deciding that sitting, staring out of the window, was a poor use of her time, Hermione started preparing her next letter to Victor. After that was complete she wandered into the family library and chose a book at random; Jane Eyre. Sitting in the padded window seat she began to read the classic novel and felt her mind calming and focussing. Fiction always worked wonders at releasing tension for her. When her parent's returned home from work she set about helping them prepare dinner whilst simultaneously describing the novel to them, with quotes, and her opinion on most of the characters, followed by a lengthy rant about her _'poor Harry'_ and the _'ignorant berk' _Ronald. Her parent's kept up nicely, smiling each time her daughter mentioned a certain one of her friends.

. . .

It was two days later that Hedwig next showed up at the Granger residence. They were sat at the breakfast table finishing off their healthy breakfast of fresh fruit and porridge. Hermione was just finishing her description of her most recently finished essay and how she thought she may have done when the owl tapped on the kitchen window.

"Hedwig!" screeched Hermione, startling her parents who had not yet noticed the white owl perched on the window sill.

Rushing to the window Hermione gently opened the frame allowing the white owl entry. Hedwig flew over to the chair that Hermione had just vacated and sat neatly on the tall back. Hermione noticed Hedwig's stiff posture and rushed to relieve the owl of her letter. Something didn't seem right.

"Is Harry okay Hedwig? Is he all-right?" she asked breathlessly.

"Darling why don't you just open up the letter instead of talking to the bird delivering it?" said her father with a confused look on his face.

Hedwig hooted indignantly and Hermione sighed. It had been 5 years since they had been introduced to the magical world and yet sometimes they said things that made her think that they had only just discovered it. She had told her parents about the wizarding method of postal delivery and how smart the owls that delivered it were, that they could understand human speech. Then her father goes and insults the owl of her best friend, honestly she would be lucky if Hedwig ever forgave them, or her.

This was one of the reasons why Hermione Jane Granger had never confided in her parents some of the more, err, active parts of wizarding culture; Voldemort for example. Her parents could be extremely close-minded though she loved them terribly and she knew that if they were to find out that they would waste no time in pulling her out of Hogwarts. No Hogwarts, no magic, it really was that simple.

Hermione knew that she could ask them anything and for the most part tell them anything but for some reason they just could not grasp the idea of magic. It was a great story, a fantasy world that was both terrifying and exciting but it was just that for them, a fantasy. Being muggle-born Hermione could not show her parents what she could do and though she tried extremely hard to explain it to them there was never anything more that an accepting nod. She couldn't wait until her 17th birthday when she could finally show her parents what she had learned. There was no way that they were not going to be interested to see what she had learned.

Deciding to skip lecturing her parent's about owl etiquette Hermione tried to calmly de-ruffle Hedwig's feathers before slowly opening Harry's letter.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Urgh I am so angry right now Hermione I just don't know what to do! Bloody Dumbledore! I'm sorry I am being like this but he has forbidden me from going to Sirius' will reading as it is supposedly too dangerous. What have I got to do to prove that I can handle myself?! I really want to go as like Tonks said, without a body it's my closure, a final goodbye; you know?_

_Have you heard from Ron yet? I am going to send him a letter once Hedwig comes back. The old coot hinted that I will be stuck at my relatives for the whole summer this year. Apparently I 'may' be allowed to visit on my birthday but otherwise not. Do the fates hate me? What could I possibly have done to be treated like this? He just doesn't understand anything! _

_The way things are currently at the Dursley's I don't actually mind staying here. Aunt Petunia has been almost friendly and Dudley and I have been watching movies and chatting. He is actually really fascinated in the magical world and since the dementor thing last year he has really mellowed out. Uncle Vernon doesn't live here anymore. Aunt Petunia kicked him out after __what he did to__ he just doesn't live here anymore._

_I would actually rather you didn't send Hedwig back to Victor at the moment as I may need the use of Hedwig a bit more in the next week or so. She is able to stay at my house again now but thank you for looking after her so well. I dread to think how much bacon she ate at Krum's, I think she may have put on a few pounds but don't tell her I said so, she is very sensitive._

_Love_

_Harry _

Hermione bit her lip. This letter said a lot, but also didn't at the same time. She could understand his anger at Dumbledore as this was an occasion where Harry could mourn. She couldn't imagine him having had much chance to grieve at his relative's home.

It was highly unusual for Harry not to be allowed to visit the burrow for at least the month following his birthday. She was glad that she might get to see him on his birthday but even that was not official yet. Hermione respected the headmaster, he was a renowned wizard of great power and deserved respect but she had noticed that his judgements seemed to be a little off when it came to one Harry Potter.

The comment about his uncle was the one that worried her most though. The hastily crossed out words, though difficult were still legible and she feared about what it was that his uncle had done and to whom though she could hazard a guess. What was more frightening was that whatever it was must have been bad enough for Mrs Dursley to kick her husband out. From some of the stories that Harry had told them and reading between the lines when he had let something slip, Hermione was almost sure that there were differing types of abuse going on in that house based around Harry.

He was too thin and not thin like some people naturally are with a fast metabolism but gaunt thin; like he hadn't seen a good meal in many weeks. He wore clothes that were too big to the point where he looked like was wearing a sack most of the time. She didn't care about that, appearances meant very little to Hermione as she knew that she wasn't really attractive herself, but she knew that it wasn't that Harry didn't care about how he looked, more that he didn't have a choice.

Hermione vowed to help Harry however she could but first she had to find out what had happened. She raced up the stairs, grabbing the telephone directory as she ran, followed behind by Hedwig at a more leisurely pace completely ignoring her parent's confused looks or general queries. Dursley wasn't a common name and she knew Harry to be living in Surrey at the moment and so she searched through the book looking for an active telephone number.

After about 20 minutes of working herself into fervour Hermione finally sat up with a yelp. There, on page 407 was the telephone number for a Mr and Mrs V Dursley. Running down the stairs to ask permission to make a call took seconds but felt like hours. Every minute she was one step closer to talking to Harry, to finding out what was wrong. She disn't thing that her parents would mind her making the call but she vowed to do anything to get them to agree, even crocodile tears.

"Mummy, Daddy," she said attempting her sad puppy eyes and her little girl lost voice was a little bit tricky, she hadn't needed to use it since she was about 8. "I was wondering if…"

**Authors Note**

I have another short chapter I am putting the finishing touches too that should be up by Friday, maybe Saturday. It was originally part of this chapter but I didn't like travelling back and forth in time so it will be in the next chapter. Thank you for all my followers and reveiwers, I appreciate every single one of you who reads my story! x


	9. Chapter 9

Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore sat in his office behind his ornate mahogany desk, the faces of his predecessors looking down upon him from their decorated frames. He had just sent back his reply to the young Harry Potter and was feeling rather pleased with himself. The poor boy had asked permission to attend the reading of his late godfathers will and he had, unfortunately, had to deny him the privilege. The reason he had given was that it was too dangerous due to Voldemort once again being a known threat and from his past talks with the lad he figured that this would be taken the best. In truth, it was no more dangerous than it had been in the past. Yes Voldemort had been officially acknowledged by the Minister and thus the Ministry itself as having returned but Harry had always been a target. In truth, being officially '_outed'_ by the Ministry probably made Harry Potter safer as Voldemort now need not hide himself and his minions could once again openly attack at will and in his name. Having the blatant need to scare and terrorize meant that Voldemort had been using his time and presence on larger attacks, not picking out individuals. Plus being bested and weakened by a school child had probably hurt the Dark Lord more than he had let on and had been using the holidays to regroup his men and was using the raids as '_target practice'_ most likely.

He had hinted at the boy not being allowed to join his friends in the latter half of the holidays as was the norm. Molly Weasley had asked this favour of him specifically due to her son Ron. Apparently Ginevra was currently unaware that her '_future husband' _was not going to be around this summer. It seemed that Ronald had discovered a crush on the delightful Miss Granger which he felt would be hindered should Harry be on the scene. As the leader of the Order of the Phoenix he deemed her request acceptable and had promptly decided that Mr Potter would remain at his relatives.

Alastor Moody had visited a few days prior and announced that Vernon Dursley was no longer living at the property. Apparently he had taken out some of his rage on his nephew leaving the boy in quite a state. Albus thought that Alastor was most likely exaggerating as he knew he had a soft spot for the boy. No one else had complained about the boy being injured although young Nymphadora had hinted that something seemed different about the boy but was unwilling to divulge anything specific. He would just have to wait and see how the boy was on September 1st when he would arrive back at school where he could keep an eye on him.

Decision made he decided to make a start on some of the paperwork necessary to keep his staff and the Board of Governors' happy. As he had his head down to his work, Albus Dumbledore missed the disapproving glare aimed at him by Fawkes, his very own Phoenix.

. . .

Ron Weasley was currently hovering in mid-air above the orchard situated just off of their back garden. His mother had told him about an hour ago that she had talked with Dumbledore. He had asked his mother to make sure that Harry couldn't come to visit this summer. Shockingly Dumbledore had accepted his request and he was now free to woo Hermione without competition.

At first his mother had been reluctant to even ask the headmaster for such a request as she had it in her heart that Harry and his little sister Ginny would marry one day and he would officially be a member of the Weasley family. Her argument was that the more time they spent together the faster he would realise that he loved Ginny and she him. Ginny already had the hero worship down, that would probably last long enough to pop out a few sprogs and then it would be too late anyway. Wizarding marriages could not be broken. There was no such thing as divorce in the wizarding world. The couple could choose to live separate lives but would never be allowed to re-marry.

Ron had been quick to point out that Harry spent rather a lot of time with Hermione and that a possible relationship would emerge. She wasn't really pretty, her hair was a mess all the time and she never wore make-up like some of the other girls in their year. Sure she had had her teeth fixed now and so she looked better than before but she still wasn't a stunner. Ron knew he wasn't much to look at either but figured that she was smart and would probably find a good job that would pay well relatively quickly after graduation. Knowing her she would aim to be the first female Minister of Magic and he practically drooled thinking of the gold that she could earn them.

Harry had never shown an interest in Hermione either but he needed her to focus her attention completely on him for his plan to be successful. It would do no good if they spent all their time as a trio because there would be no way for a relationship to emerge. Completely disregarding the fact that people either fell in love or didn't, not to mention the fact that all they ever did was argue, Ron was too caught up with the prospect of a bit of snogging to really think this through. Sure it would be Hermione but nothing said he couldn't have a mistress after they were married. With that thought in mind Ron flew down to the ground intent on finding his mum and writing a letter to invite Hermione over as soon as he could.

. . .

Nymphadora Tonks was nervously pacing around the living room of her small flat. Something was bothering her about Harry and she couldn't figure out what it was. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the flames in her fireplace turn green and spit out the form of Remus Lupin. As soon as she saw him she felt a blush bloom on her cheeks and she fought hard to keep it from showing too badly.

"What was so important that I had to meet you here right now and alone." Remus said shortly.

Truth was that as much as she loved the man, ever since the death of Sirius he had changed. She supposed that they all had but she had been watching the werewolf closely for many months and she now noticed every difference, every facial expression or movement that he made. Put like that she felt a bit like a stalker and stammered over her response.

"I uh, I just, I mean…" feeling like an idiotic schoolchild she decided to cut out the awkward chit chat and go straight to the problem. "There's something wrong with Harry."

The change in Lupin was instantaneous. "What's wrong with my cub?!" he demanded.

"I don't know." She ran a hand through her pink hair nervously. "When I saw him the other day I just had the feeling something had happened; something that we should have been aware of. He also looked kind of green, maybe he's been sick or something?"

Lupin frowned. He hadn't heard anything from the order. If something had happened there would have surely been an emergency meeting. Tonks could just be worrying over nothing but he had noticed that the young Auror had taken a shine to Harry and him to her. She was good with him, ignoring his _'fame_' and just laughing and talking with him when at the old headquarters. Speaking of the old house, he never thought that he would miss it. Even in its dark, dilapidated state, it had been like a palace compared to his normal lodgings. Back in the small, cramped hut that he had been living in whilst Sirius was in prison had made him miss the old marauder more and realise how well suited they had been together as friends. He had been the steady, careful one and Sirius the childlike, fun one.

Maybe he should visit his cub, orders be damned! Dumbledore couldn't really do anything to stop him. Maybe he could see the boy while he was on guard duty next.

"I'll check on him on Wednesday and let you know what I find out." Not wanting to hover and make the young girl uncomfortable he started inching his way back towards the fire place, not noticing the disheartened look on the girl in questions face.

"You know, I made too much pasta by accident, spilt practically the whole packet in the pot. It would really help me out if you stayed and ate some of it. I really don't like being wasteful you know." She shyly glanced at Lupin and noticed his dark circles and baggy clothes. She knew he had very little money, less than even the Weasleys', but he was a kind man and he made her heart do funny little flops inside her chest.

Remus halted in his escape, his stomach grumbling traitorously at the mention of hot food. "I uh, I would be glad to help." He said after a while.

"Really? Ok, great!" Tonks clapped her hands and mentally slapped herself. She must look like an idiot bouncing on the balls of her feet like an excited child on Christmas. She wanted him to fancy her not see her as a kid for heavens' sake! "Take a seat Remus, make yourself comfortable. I have wine or..."

"Wine would be lovely Nymphadora." Remus replied gently and she felt her stomach join her heart in its gymnastic routine. For once, she didn't mind her first name being used. Sure she hated it, it was stupid as far as she was concerned and had been the source of much teasing when she was a child but something about the way he said it curled her toes. With a smile she headed into the kitchen to dish out the dinner and grab a bottle of wine, all thoughts of the bespectacled teen pushed from her thoughts and unknowingly from the mind of the man now sat on her sofa.

. . .

Neville had never been happier. He was currently enjoying a peaceful summer surrounded by his plants which grew beautifully under his careful ministrations.

His grandmother had stopped her usual litany of his failures and instead had actually praised him telling him he was as brave as his father had been. She was actually proud of him, as was his great-uncle Algie; though he had not actually said as much but had stopped shooting spells at him randomly looking for a response. In fact he seemed to be hiding from him but Neville didn't really understand why.

He had not long returned from Diagon Alley to get his new wand which turned out to be 13 inches, cherry and with a unicorn hair core. He had insisted that they visit St Mungo's to show his parents his new wand. Even though he knew that they didn't understand he felt that maybe if he saw them often enough, maybe they would start to recognise him a little. His mother had even given him another sweet wrapper which he had stored in a small tin under his mattress with the rest of them.

He was thankful for his friends keeping his secret. Lord only knows what people would say if they knew, the pitying looks that he would receive. His parents may not be able to look after him or talk to him but he knew that they would love him if they only knew he existed.

Harry had really helped him over the past year. His speed and skill with a wand had quadrupled and he hardly ever blew anything up anymore. Maybe the use of this new wand would stop that entirely. Anything was possible. All he knew was that for once he couldn't wait to go back to school and learn some new spells. He was going to keep making his grandmother proud.

He suddenly remembered that Harry's birthday was the day after his own, Neville decided to send a token of thanks to his friend. Looking around the greenhouse for inspiration he realised that plants were not really going to do it this time. Deciding another trip to Diagon Alley was in order he headed into the manor to ask his grandmother for permission.

. . .

Sighing to herself, Luna Lovegood was currently staring at the clouds in the garden of her and her father's Ottery St Catchpole home. Searching for the Crumple-horned Snorkack had been a flop. She was sure that they must have come close at some point but the creatures were extremely elusive and they didn't manage a single sighting.

Her father was busy working on the latest issue of the Quibbler and so she had no one to talk too; it was an unfortunately common occurrence. Everybody called her Loony but if they thought that she minded they were sadly mistaken. She had been called this for so long that she just shrugged it off now, some of the things they said could be cruel but for the most part Luna was disinclined to listen to them.

Her father had told her from a young age to believe whatever she wished and that just because no one had seen something didn't mean that it didn't exist. Her passion for unusual and often unlikely animals had started right then.

Summer was always hard but especially this year. Taking part in the D.A had been a new experience for the quiet and often overlooked young girl. It had been nice to be around people her own age and actually talk to some of them without them mocking her for something. Harry would never allow them to mock her; he was a truly wonderful boy, a friend.

Luna felt herself flush with pride. Her mother, were she alive, would be proud to see the woman she was growing into and her choice of companions. Turning her attention back to the sky Luna smiled as she noticed a cloud in the shape of a hare and lay back on the grass for a nap.

Petunia Dursley was an extremely confused individual. Ever since her nephew had come to live with them she had shunned him and made him feel unwelcome in her home. Because of her own attitude, her husband Vernon and her son Dudley had also taken it upon themselves to make the boy feel unwelcome and at some point, it had stopped being just unwelcoming and began to take the form of abuse.

She didn't know exactly when this had happened or why. She had had reasons for the things she had initially suggested such as the boy living in the cupboard under the stairs. He had performed so much magic that, even though Dudley had appeared more curious than frightened, she had been concerned about the danger he was in. Harry was just a small child, a toddler, he could do anything to Dudley and she would have no way of fixing it, so she kept them apart.

Normal punishments didn't work as he would perform magic to counteract the punishment. If he had to stay in the corner he floated a toy to himself. She had been at her wits end. Then Vernon had suggested spanking the boy when he performed magic, to deter him. She had allowed this, anything to stop all the nightmares and fear of allowing anyone in their house. She could hardly be classed as a normal person if she couldn't invite people in, they would think they were doing something illegal!

Eventually the spanking had started to work but there were still times, even after a spanking that the boy had refused to not use magic. So the next thing the books said was to take away something they liked. With Dudley they had taken away his second helping of desert but Harry didn't really care about desert, he had a relatively small appetite even then. Vernon had suggested him going to bed without dinner on those occasions. This had also seemed to work.

She didn't understand how their normal parenting techniques had gone so horribly wrong, or how she had not even realised until it was too late. Looking at her nephew and her son sat together, laughing and talking had made her realise the damage she had done. They could have grown up as brothers, as Lily would have wanted. Instead they had been enemies for much of their life and even though they had all treated him horrendously, he had saved her precious boy.

One thing was for sure, things were going to start changing in her house. No longer would Harry be punished by being starved, no longer would he be locked in his room or be forced to go without the usual amenities. They would all work together to maintain the house, the boy would do no more chores than any other boy his age. Petunia didn't understand yet how much this decision was going to change all of their lives.

The high pitched ringing of the telephone disrupted her thoughts and she walked slowly towards it. "Dursley household. This is Petunia speaking." She said tonelessly from habit more than anything.

"Hello Mrs Dursley, my name's Hermione Granger and I want to know what you have done to my Harry!"

**Authors Note**

Hey guys I promised an update this week and here it is! Hope you like it. Ok so techniclly the story hasn't moved along in 'time' but I wanted to give you some infor on what the other characters were thinking. This may become a regualr occurence every few chapters to show how a character is feeling. Not sure yet. I didn't have enough to write a chapter on each person except Hermione (hense the previous chapter) so I decided to do some mini ones here. Enjoy. Probably wont be able to update for at leats a week though I am working on it. Only got about 600 words for the next chapter done but am going to go work on it right now! Don't forget to review, it gives me a happy feeling and helps me see where I need to improve or what is working. Love you all!


	10. Chapter 10

"I beg your pardon." Petunia said; offence obvious in her tone.

"I want to know what you have done to my Harry. More importantly, I want to know what your husband has done!"

Petunia stood there in silence. Her mouth opening and closing silently like a fish. What had the boy told this girl? Not the full story obviously or she wouldn't be in this situation right now. Not really knowing how to reply but understanding that the prolonged silence was probably more damning, Petunia began to speak. "I don't know what you are talking about. Harry Potter is absolutely fine. He is sat with my son laughing about goodness only knows what right at this second and I…"

"Don't give me that rubbish. Harry wouldn't be talking to your son. He may not like to talk about it but I know his cousin picks on him and beats him to a bloody pulp!" said Hermione indignantly.

Before Petunia could form a reply there was a voice from just behind her.

"Did you call me Aunt Petunia?"

"Um, no I...ahh," Stumbling over her words Petunia held out the received instead and said "For you." Before walking into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

Staring dumbly at the receiver for a few moments like it was going to bite him he put the receiver up to his ear only to pull it back in shock a second later.

"…should be ashamed of yourself! He is a wonderful boy!"

"Um…Hermione?"

"…Harry?" came the confused voice of one Hermione Granger. He didn't understand why she was on the phone or even how she had gotten his number but he was thrilled all the same.

"Hermione! How? Why? How?" Harry spluttered.

"Well I got your letter and I was worried so I checked the yellow pages. Did you know how dangerous it is for your Aunt and Uncle to be listed? Does Dumbledore know?"

"Why is it dangerous?"

"Think Harry, think! If death eaters weren't so stuck up about all things muggle they could have found you just by looking in any phone directory. Luckily for you none of them will dirty their hands with anything so deplorably muggle…" Hermione sighed. "Harry this is awful, how could Dumbledore not think of something so simple? All the protections would be for nought!

"No they aren't Hermione, no one with a dark mark can get through the blood protections on this house. The headmaster said so!"

"That's another thing! All Voldemort would have to do is send someone who hasn't been marked to kill you and there would be nothing to stop them."

Harry paused considering Hermione's rant. She was totally right. Why had he never thought about this before? It was simple really, too simple. What good were protections that could be thwarted by something so easy? Luckily for him Voldemort seemed keen on the bigger, grander ideas and very rarely did anything that would be considered simple. Personally Harry thought that Voldemort was a pompous oaf, foolish and crazy but he had to agree that he also was strong and a great leader; no matter how deranged.

Harry looked around the hall in unease. If what Hermione was saying were true he was never really safe. He would have to talk with his 'guard' when he next collared one. He had a feeling if he wrote to Dumbledore that he would get mindless platitudes and that would not help him in his current predicament.

"Ok, I am officially freaking out now Hermione." He replied shakily.

"Oh Harry I am sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you. I don't think you have to be concerned as they aren't likely to look you up in the yellow pages. I doubt they even know what that is let alone how to use it to find someone. Maybe you should write to Dumbledore? Or I could do it for you if you want?"

Sighing deeply Harry ran his hand through his hair making it stick up at even stranger angles. "I'll do it." He said finally. "Thank you for offering though it means a lot to me."

It really did mean a lot to know that she cared about him. He didn't have a lot of people who would be there for him as consistently as she had been. "So why are you ringing anyway? What's wrong…oh! Is Hedwig hurt, is she ok?!" Harry started to hyperventilate. How could he be so silly, something must be terribly wrong for Hermione to resort to the telephone? He started to tear up waiting for the inevitable message of doom.

"Hedwig's fine."

Wha..? Harry's brain did a quick double take.

"I got your letter Harry and I was worried. I wanted to make sure you were ok myself. What happened Harry?" Hermione voice was soft and calm and Harry felt his heart beat faster.

"Well, you know I wrote to Dumbledore right?" Hermione mumbled an affirmative. "Well he wrote back and basically said 'No, you're in too much danger blah blah blah.' Oh and let's not forget the 'If you're a good boy maybe I will let you out of your cage for your birthday.' Urgh Hermione I am so mad!"

"Oh Harry I wish there was a way that I could help you but it's too far out of the way to drive and pick you up on the way. I asked my father but he wouldn't have any of it."

"It's ok, thank you for even thinking of me." Harry spoke softly and his tone was warm. Hermione was so kind and thoughtful. What had he ever done to deserve a friend like her?

"I always think of you Harry," there was a breathy pause and then "You're my best friend." It felt like he had been hit in the stomach but he didn't know why.

"You're my best friend too Hermione." There was that hit again. "I guess I will have to write to the goblins' and tell them I can't make it."

The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening. Harry could practically see Hermione trying to think of something just out of her reach. The way her nose would wrinkle up a little and she would close her eyes and bite her lip. Woah, what was up with his stomach today?

"That's it! Harry you are a genius!"

"I…am?"

"Yes! Why didn't I think about it sooner? Let's be honest, you are most likely going to be the main recipient at the will reading so I expect the goblins' will want you to be present. Maybe, if you write to them they can arrange transportation for you without Dumbledore's knowledge. That way he cannot stop you from being there!"

"You really think that would work?" Harry asked; hope appearing in his tone for the first time.

"I think it's worth a shot. If they say no you're no worse off but if they say yes you can go and see the look on the headmaster's face. I can't imagine him being pleased mind you…" she trailed off warily.

"I will write my letter right now and it will be ready for when Hedwig arrives! Thanks Hermione you're the best!" Harry was about to hang up when he heard a distressed voice on the other end of the line.

"Wait! Harry! Harry are you there?"

"Um…yes?"

"Thank god! There was something else I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Harry, in your letter you crossed out something. What was it going to say?"

Harry opened his mouth to tell Hermione to mind her own business and then shut it again. What could he say? 'Oh yeah my Uncle tried to beat me to death, no big deal.' Seeing the door to the kitchen open slightly and his Aunt Petunia step out with a tray of 3 steaming mugs forced his hand.

"It's no big deal Hermione. I don't want to talk about it anyways. I was being overly dramatic, the whole Dumbledore issue, you know? I was just venting about some stuff, it's not important." Before Hermione could say anything else Harry followed up with "I have to go now Hermione, Aunt Petunia has made us all tea and I don't want it to get cold. Thanks for calling I loved hearing from you. Hope I see you on my birthday! Bye!" and promptly hung up the phone.

Harry took a deep breath in order to calm himself and then walked into the living room to drink his tea. Dudley was sat on the sofa where he had left him and Aunt Petunia had claimed the arm chair opposite and was staring at him intently as he sat next to his cousin.

"Thank you for the tea Aunt Petunia." He said calmly as he reached for the mug nearest to his seat.

"No problem Harry." She said and took a ladylike sip of the boiling liquid. "Who was that…charming young woman on the telephone?"

Harry paused briefly, blew on his tea and replied. "Just Hermione."

Aunt Petunia nodded and took another sip of tea. Her eyes never leaving Harry making him shift in his seat. "A friend from school I assume?"

Harry nodded and again blew on his tea hoping to cool it quickly so that he could drink it and make his escape but not appear too rude. Yes she was nicer to him now but sometimes Harry worried that if he behaved badly, just once, that they would all revert to hating him. Trust was not something that Harry was able to give freely or easily.

"She asked me an odd question you know?" said Petunia conversationally and Harry gulped nervously. What had Hermione done?

"R-really?" he said taking another sip. "That's Hermione for you, always asking questions!" he laughed trying to sound casual but sounding more choked than anything.

"She asked me what I had done to you."

Shit! Harry mentally tried to think of a response. He was a little confused why Hermione thought that Aunt Petunia had done something when he had not said anything to suggest otherwise in his letter. Hermione was smart and had obviously seen through the messy crossing out in his letter. He knew he should have started the letter again but he had been so angry he just wanted a reply back. He might not have realised it at the time but he supposed a subconscious part of him had wanted this '_secret_' to be found out. He wanted someone, anyone, to care about what had happened.

Harry could feel himself starting to hyperventilate. This was it. This was going to be the thing that made them all hate him again. He saw Aunt Petunia stand and head over towards him, her hand raised. Oh god, oh god! Despite his best effort Harry felt the panic rising higher and higher. His head began to throb and he felt an odd queasy feeling in his stomach. Aunt Petunia stood to the left of him and he saw her arm coming towards him and with a muffled sob he brought his arms up to shield his face and cried out. "I'm sorry!"

. . .

Petunia had seen the fear and panic in her nephews face and had walked over to sit beside him. As she saw the panic become worse and the oncoming panic attack draw closer she raised her arm up to squeeze his shoulder. She didn't know that the sight of her raised hand would cause more panic and by the time she realised, her nephew was in tears and guarding himself from physical attack…from her. The lump of bile in her throat was choking, painful, and she tried her hardest to keep calm. Her hand was shaking, still raised to offer comfort, now frozen in mid-air. Should she leave him or should she try to help him, she didn't know what to do. If he were Dudley she would have pulled him into a hug and rocked him until he had calmed but would that make this situation worse?

Glancing over at her little Dudders she was saddened to see his terrified gaze. Did he think that she was going to hit him too? She felt tears well up and her vision blurred as she tried to fight them back down.

She sat down beside Harry and his cries became louder and he wrapped his arms around himself tighter. With a determined look on her face she did something she thought she would never do. She hugged him. His wails were like knives in her chest and the pure pain that seemed to ooze from his aura was intense. He had been holding everything in for too long and this was the result. He would probably feel incredibly embarrassed later but she wouldn't let him. Slowly she began to rock him backwards and forwards making soft '_shhhh_' noises and every so often speaking quietly to him. '_Cry it out Harry'_ and '_You're ok, you're ok_'.

At some point Dudley had placed his hand on Harry's knee and was alternating between squeezing it gently and patting it. She was extremely proud of her boy in that moment and she could see the man he was going to become.

. . .

Harry felt the sofa dip as someone sat beside him and then arms grab at him and hold him tight. He didn't even struggle, just tried to cover as much of his face and torso as he could. He was utterly embarrassed about crying in-front of his cousin and his Aunt but no matter what he did he couldn't seem to stop. Something inside of him had broken and all he could think was a jumble of words and feelings. Nothing seemed to make sense.

_Sirius. Sad. Pain. Anger. Lies. Dumbledore. Death. Training. Voldemort. Kill. Hurt. Beaten. Pain. Sirius. Lies. Anger. Dumbledore_.

On and on it went, round and round inside his mind.

_Beaten. Sad. Hurt. Voldemort. Kill. Lies. Sirius. Death. Training. Sad. Dumbledore. Anger. Pain. _

Eventually the jumble of words seemed to slow and he could once again think clearly. He started to calm his breathing and unwrap his arms from around himself. He noticed for the first time his cousin patting his knee and his Aunt hugging and rocking him like a small child, like she used to do for Dudley. Not caring that he was behaving like a child he relished in the oddly comforting movements and began to calm down until with a yawn he closed his eyes and relaxed into her arms completely.

. . .

Hermione was fuming! She had gone straight past mad and was halfway to hysterical by the time her mother found her. The handset still held tightly in her right hand, the dull monotonous sound that meant the call had ended still ringing in her ears.

Pulling the handset from her daughter's grip and placing it back on the base her mother asked what was wrong.

"He hung up on me." Said Hermione quietly, then as the words filtered through her head shot up and her eyes blazed. "He hung up on me!" she yelled.

"Now now darling calm down it may be a mistake he-"

"No! He did it on purpose! I was only trying to help him and he makes up a load of excuses and then hangs up before I even had a chance to say anything!" The tension was palpable and Mrs Granger figured that her next words had best be chosen carefully lest she make her daughter madder than she already was.

"Darling," She began slowly and placed her finger under her daughter's chin to get her to look her in the eyes. "I may not have ever met this boy but you have spoken of his character endlessly both at home and in your letters to us during the year. I don't think he would have done anything to deliberately hurt you. Let's look at the whole situation and see what may have made him act that way hmm?"

With a sigh and a nod Hermione followed her mother into the kitchen where a punnet of grapes sat temptingly on the breakfast bar. Hopping onto the stool she popped one into her mouth and chewed slowly. Grapes were her sweets, her parents being dentists tended to not buy chocolates and sweets but Hermione didn't really mind. Thinking back over her brief conversation with Harry she couldn't help but be riled once again at the thought of being hung up on. She had expected better from him!

"Now," said Mrs Granger. "What happened?"

"Well, Harry sent me a letter this morning and there was something off about it and I was worried so I looked up his relatives, the Dursleys', and then you said I could phone him so I did and his Aunt answered and then Harry was there and we were talking and it was all fine and then I asked him what he was hiding and he got all weird and hung up on me!" Hermione managed the whole sentence in one breath and were this not a serious conversation Mrs Granger would have been impressed. As it was she had a feeling her daughter was missing out a few key facts.

"Ok, let's go back a little shall we? What made you worried enough to phone him?"

"The letter this morning," Hermione said chewing another grape. "It had something crossed out and I was worried." She shrugged.

"Why were you worried?" her mother asked calmly.

"I don't know. He started off really angry because headmaster Dumbledore has forbidden him from going to his godfather's will reading, the one that I am going too on the 3rd. Well then he started talking about his family and how things seemed better and that his uncle didn't live with them anymore. There was something crossed out and I wanted to know what had happened."

Mrs Granger stood facing her daughter, a thoughtful expression on her face. Whatever he had crossed out must be sensitive for him to hang up on Hermione about it but at the same time maybe it was something really simple. Maybe he just didn't like being asked about everything in his life. Privacy is always important and Mrs Granger knew that Hermione had an unrivalled thirst for knowledge that had often led to her being friendless when she was younger. Even now she knew that her daughter only really had 2 friends and that Harry was obviously the one that she cared for the most.

"This is very confusing sweetheart. Would you mind if I read this letter? I am not sure how I can help without seeing it from an impartial angle."

Hermione thought for a few moments. It wasn't her letter to give away, this was private but at the same time the part of her that wanted, no needed, answers to everything was over-ruling her sensible side. "Sure, I will go and get it." She knew she could trust her mum to not tell anyone any details and that she could help her sort out her thoughts. She wasn't sure what angered her more: The fact that Harry wouldn't tell her what was wrong or the fact that he had hung-up on her.

She ran up to her room and retrieved the letter before disappearing back down to her mother and handing over the crumpled parchment.

Mrs Granger read the letter carefully several times. This 'Uncle Vernon' must have done something pretty bad to be kicked out of his own house and whatever it was it must have impacted Harry greatly. It was not her place to speculate but Mrs Granger was pretty positive that whatever it was it had not been good. Deciding to answer her daughter as honestly as possible Mrs Granger took a deep, steadying breath. "It sounds like your friend has not been having a very good time of things recently. First, losing his godfather and then not being allowed to attend his will. That would be hard for anyone and I can understand his anger completely."

Hermione nodded.

"Then there is this talk of his family. There is something here that should not be rushed. Hermione, I know you like to know everything and that all you want to do is help your friend but I have a feeling that whatever he was trying to hide he has good reason too. If you're going be there for him, forgive him for hanging up on you for starters, then just be there for him no matter what and then, when he is ready, I think he will open up to you. I get the feeling you won't like what he tells you but whatever you do don't be angry at him for hiding it. If it is what I think it is then I can understand his actions."

"What do you think it is?" asked Hermione, dread flooding her.

"That is not my place to say sweetie but whatever you do, do not push him or you may push him away." With that Mrs Granger handed back the note and walked out into the garden to help her husband weed the flowerbeds.

Hermione sat on her stool, grapes forgotten and fought back tears. She may still be a child but Hermione was not a fool. She knew the kind of things that her mother was hinting about and knew that whenever Harry did tell her what had happened that she would be there for him no matter what. She no longer felt angry at him for blowing her off but felt angry at herself for not thinking before asking. This wasn't the first time that her acting before thinking had gotten her in trouble. Sometimes her intelligence was a curse making her think that she knew everything. She hoped that Harry didn't hate her now.

Feeling completely awful Hermione wrote a brief note of apology and then went up to her room to send Hedwig back to her master. If what she now thought was correct then Harry would need her more than ever. With a quick kiss to the top of the snowy owls head Hermione opened her window and watched the graceful creature fly off to her first and best friend.

. . .

**Authors Note**

Hi guys! I am so sorry that I have taken so long to put this chapter up. I am so angry and frustrated at myself as this isn't the full chapter but I am having trouble writing a useable dialog between Harry and Petunia. So I have cut that part from the end and it will be the start of the next chapter which means that you guys get something to read and I get extra time to write this how I want to. I wont publish if it's not right and no matter how I tried I just couldn't get the characters to talk right.

Please check out my new blog. I put the link on my profile.

It will have details about when I am planning to upload next, any problems that delay my schedule etc. At least that is the plan. Enjoy!


	11. Chapter 11

Harry wasn't sure how long he was asleep for but it couldn't have been too long as the sun was still up outside. He breathed in deeply and tried to stretch before realising that arms were still wrapped tightly around him and by the feel of it someone's head was rested a-top his own.

"I know you're awake Harry." Came the voice of Aunt Petunia from beside him. "I think we need to talk."

Not really wanting to talk but feeling like he didn't have much of a choice Harry sat up and stretched his muscles and wiped at his sore eyes. "What 'bout?" he said sullenly.

"You know what about. Dudley will you give us a minute please?"

From his left he felt the sofa move as his cousin stood and the click of the T.V as Dudley turned off whatever he had been watching. A few more seconds went by when he heard the living room door click closed and Harry finally looked up from his lap. Aunt Petunia was sat beside him looking just as, if not more, uncomfortable as he was feeling.

For a few minutes they sat there in silence, neither wanting to be the first to talk.

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry."

"What on earth for?" was Aunt Petunia's surprised response.

"I shouldn't have reacted like that." Said Harry, his eyes once more pointed at his lap and his hands twisting nervous knots into his overlarge t-shirt.

A thin hand appeared in his vision and took one of his hands in its own. "You have nothing to be sorry for." Petunia said, her voice cracking. "In fact, it is I who should be apologising to you."

Caught off guard and feeling like this could be some sort of trick Harry didn't answer and merely looked up at his Aunt, begging her to continue so that he needn't risk saying something wrong.

"Harry, I never really realised the damage that we did to you. All those years I just learned to accept that the way we treated you was normal though in truth it was actually far from it. All those years you kept silent, afraid of us, locked away in one form or another. As I told you before, for a while the punishments were normal, then we became afraid and we took it out on you. Somewhere these punishments morphed into abuse and I am ashamed by what we put you through. I knew about the magical world, I feared what I couldn't have, couldn't understand. Lily tried to tell me, god rest her soul, but I wouldn't listen. Vernon was sure it was the devil's work and I just sort of started to listen to him." At Harry's stern glance she hastily added "Of course I never '_truly'_ believed that it was the devil's magic, Lily is…'_was_'…as pure as they come. Vernon can be very persuasive though."

Harry wasn't sure that persuasive was the correct word to use but he stayed silent anyway. His Aunt was being truthful with him and somehow he realised that this moment, right now, was going to define their future relationship.

"I don't want or need to tell you all the details of my life, nor why we acted the way we did. I know that Dudley and I are sorry for the way we treated you, I can't speak for your Uncle but I can't imagine him coming around anytime soon." Harry snorted. "I know that it is a lot to ask, especially after everything that we put you through but I know I would like it if you would give me another chance. I probably will never gain your trust, nor do I deserve too, but I would like to try." After a few moments pause Petunia turned to face Harry, her face hopeful, her eyes doubtful.

"I don't forgive you." The words were out of Harry's mouth before he could process his thoughts and he hastened to explain. "I never saw you as my family, you were just people I happened to live with and share DNA with. All my life growing up I felt afraid to be me, to just be Harry. You made it impossible for me to trust, to feel loved to strive to be the best person I could be. You made me miserable."

Petunia sat stock still staring at her nephew in horror. It was one thing to know and understand a person's feelings but another thing altogether to be told them so bluntly by the very person whose forgiveness you desire more than anything else in the world.

"But…" he added carefully, seeking out the words that would best explain the tumult of feelings rampaging around inside of him. "Whether out of fear or loyalty, most likely fear I presume, you kept me safe. You knew that a mad-man was out for my blood and that living with you was going to keep me alive and even though you feared me, began to loathe my very existence in your house, you kept me. For that, I am grateful."

"I never '_loathed'_ you. When you first came to us you were just another little boy, how could we hate you for that? Then, about a week after you came to us, you started to float things around and break things just by looking at them. Vernon was the first to become fearful and the more we talked the more afraid I became. There was no one for us to talk too. There we were, new parents to a strong magical child and not the first clue how to deal with it. We resented, feared what you could do to us in a fit of tantrum. The things you could do at only 18 months old, it was terrifying. We must have called the window company out 6 times to replace the broken sections before Vernon started punishing you." Petunia breathed deeply, this next part was not going to be pleasant. "Then, about 2 weeks after that, the first payment arrived. We were confused but relieved. We had spent practically all of our savings trying to keep the house together and we were so tired, so angry with the whole situation and here we had money practically being thrown at us. We took it, as you know and Vernon insisted that after a few small splurges, the car, a new T.V, that we would save it for a retirement fund. No one knew we were getting it so we couldn't put large amounts in the bank or they may start thinking we were doing something illegal. It's no excuse that we resented you for those first few weeks, the trouble you caused, the questions we were asked. I know that Lily would be ashamed of me, I should have grown a backbone years ago and told Vernon enough was enough but as long as he kept his hatred focused on you, Dudley and I were safe. You probably already realise that your Uncle could be very unpleasant when he got angry. I know he had affairs. Those so-called business trips he took with his secretary, please! Do I look stupid?"

Harry shook his head.

"No! Exactly! I knew exactly what that rat was up to and his good for nothing sister, the lousy thief, they should both rot in prison." She paused, breathing heavily after her rant. "I should probably be right there with them." She said finally, her eyes filling with tears.

Harry looked at his Aunt, her eyes were red and puffy and expressed a guilt and shame so deep that Harry didn't believe that she would ever truly be free of it. He hated that his life had been miserable and even after hearing all of the reasons behind it he didn't understand. How could anyone accept these things as ok? He knew that he never would. He also knew that his mother would not want him to torment her sister. 'Two wrongs don't make a right' immediately popped into his head and he sighed. Could he ever forgive her? Probably, but not yet.

"Aunt Petunia," he began slowly. "I would like to try and be civil to each other if nothing else. As I said, I don't forgive you but that doesn't mean that I never will. I only have to live here for one more summer after this one and then I will most likely move into the wizarding world but we shall see how things progress between now and then. Maybe we can move past this but understand that I will never forget it."

With that Harry stood and walked out of the living room, the sound of his Aunt's crying fading as he closed the door behind him.

"Why is mum crying?" Dudley said from the kitchen. Harry hoped that Dudley wasn't going to turn on him like he used to at every available opportunity and blame him for his Aunt's sadness.

"We had a talk and I think some of the things we said were rather hard to both accept and to admit."

With a nod Dudley turned and walked back over to the counter where a half-eaten sandwich lay, leaving behind a stunned and confused Harry.

"You…you're not going to yell at me? Hit me?" said Harry eventually.

Swallowing his mouthful Dudley faced his cousin, a sad smile on his chubby face. "No." was his simple response.

"But…why?"

"You want me to?" asked Dudley forcefully.

Harry backed away a few steps and stammered out an apology.

"Listen. I may not have ever been nice to you. Heck I was a bully and an idiot but I am trying to change." He looked at the living room door. "We both are."

Nodding in confused understanding Harry turned towards the stairs and headed up to his room. He had a lot of thinking to do and a few letters to write.

. . .

Perched on the edge of his bed Harry stared at the envelopes sat on his desk. All that was left to do was send them off with Hedwig when she returned from Hermione's.

It had been a few hours since speaking with said girl on the telephone and he guessed that had she sent his familiar off immediately his owl would arrive any minute now.

He had written a letter to Ron. With his birthday only a few days away Harry was hoping to receive a bit of information about what was to be happening as well as some form of acknowledgement from his friend. Any normal person would question why he had not yet received a letter from his friend but Harry had not sent one either. Chances were that Ron was busy playing quiditch and enjoying Mrs Weasley's cooking. Friendships did not work one way, you cannot bemoan someone for not writing to you when you have not written to them.

The other letter was for Ragnok, the Goblin. Harry had decided to ask about a possible method of transportation to the will reading. He did not like going behind the headmaster's back but was starting to question the man's ability to be fair. It seemed that the old man had made a lot of mistakes, at least where Harry was concerned. The worst the Goblin could do was say that there was nothing he could do and Harry deemed that good enough to try. He was desperate to take part. To be there surrounded by people who loved Sirius and whom his godfather had loved back. There was also a deep curiosity to find out who had been bequeathed what. Harry believed it could be a sign of who Sirius believed was the most trustworthy, though that could just be a vain hope on Harry's part.

He sat there, still as a statue, patiently awaiting Hedwig's arrival and about 15 minutes later there came a screech and Hedwig sailed in through the open window and landed on Harry's knee.

"Hedwig!"

An excited hoot was his response as well as a gentle nip on one of his fingers that rested on his lap.

"You brought me a message from Hermione?" Harry said nervously, all too aware that hanging up on her was probably a great mistake. He untied the letter from Hedwig's leg gently and breathed deeply, calmingly, before opening it.

_Harry,_

_I'm terribly sorry for prying, I was just worried. There is something you aren't telling me but I want you to know that whatever it is, whenever you feel like you can tell me, I will listen. Nothing could make me think any less of you._

_Don't forget to write to the Goblins' soon._

_All my Love,_

_Your Hermione x x_

Harry swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat. He was immensely relieved that Hermione was not going to hold a grudge about him hanging up on her. He had been sure that this letter was going to be a stern telling off yet it had completely surprised him. This girl truly was one in a million and Harry felt a warmth surge throughout his chest. As he re-read the letter again he felt himself blush. She never normally ended her letters quite so…er…lovingly. He shook himself internally, she was probably just not thinking properly and had not wanted to re-write the whole letter, yeah…that was probably it.

Tying his own letters to Hedwig he asked her to deliver the letter to the Goblin first as it was closer. "If you are too tired to take Ron his letter tonight, come back and rest and you can do it tomorrow. I don't want you falling from the sky now do I?"

With a strong hoot that Harry was sure was Hedwig's way of telling him that would never happen she flew from his window and within minutes had disappeared over the horizon.

**Authors Note**

I am so sorry that this has taken me so long to write. Not only is my life very hectic at the moment (I am to be a bridesmaid in 1 week and the final prep is taking up a lot of my time) and for the next week I doubt I will get any time to write. We have the rehearsal wedding, the hen party and the final prep and then the wedding on Saturday which means I will probably be comatose on Sunday. Therefore please expect no updates for nearly 2 weeks. Sorry.

This chapter was a doozy for me to write. I have changed and edited it so many times and even though I am not completely happy with it I think I am as close as I am going to get. The talk with Aunt Petunia was difficult as I want to make a start on a reconciliation but I want to stay near-ish to canon at the moment. As always your reviews make me smile. x

* Many thanks to alix33 who pointed out some errors that I made and which have now been corrected! Thank you my friend!


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

In a dimly lit room, somewhere in the bowels of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, a lone Goblin sat behind a simple desk writing furiously. The desk was cluttered with various writing implements and several trays where letters and packages sat precariously balanced on top of one another. The Goblin himself had a worn face peppered with small scars and generously creased with age. He grunted as he finished his last letter for the day and stretched until his back gave a satisfying '_crack'._

A loud yell from down the hall disturbed his peace and he snorted at whatever mistake some young Goblin must have made. As he prepared to stand however, the yells and bangs became louder and closer and there was more of them than before.

Banging his fists on the desk in anger he pushed back his stool and rose, striding towards the tall oak door and yanking it open.

"What in the name of all…ARGH" he waved his hands around his head as he was assaulted by a white blur. Eventually the missile headed to his desk and perched gracefully allowing the aged Goblin to recognise it as an owl.

"Sorry Ragnok Sir," said a diminutive Goblin at least 50 years his junior. "We tried to get its letter but it seemed that whatever it's delivering is for your eyes only." The Goblin's curious eyes swept past Ragnok and landed on the beautiful white owl. Ragnok pulled his door too to obscure the view.

"Very well." Was Ragnok's gruff response before slamming the door closed. If this owl was for his eyes only that meant that it likely held extremely sensitive information, information that he was not willing to share. Knowledge was as valuable to a Goblin as gold and if whoever was writing to him trusted him to maintain his or her secret, he was not going to jeopardise that for some other lowly Goblin's curiosity.

Making his way back over to the desk he circled the bird that now stood with its left leg up, letters dangling aimlessly.

"What do you have for little old me, hmm?" said Ragnok with a toothy smile.

"Hoot." Was the owl's reply along with a small hop which made the two letters flop around comically from its lifted leg.

Fingering the letters carefully he read the front of each. One was addressed to a '_Ron Weasley – The Burrow – Ottery St. Catchpole' _and so he left that one alone and moved onto the next which read '_Ragnok c/o Gringotts Wizarding Bank'_ in small, messy script. With a wave of his hand the letter freed itself from the owl's leg and floated the few inches to the desk.

The owl, now bereft of its delivery hooted sternly at him before nodding towards the door.

"Patience pretty one," said the Goblin in his gruff voice "I may need to send a reply with you. Go!" he said pointing to the corner where a rather dusty owl perch sat covered in cobwebs in the corner of the dull room. Another wave of the Goblin's hand and the perch was clean and the bowls filled with food and water and the owl gratefully flew off to rest.

Another casual hand wave later and the letter was deemed safe. Portkey's did not work within the bank and so handling the letter was not a concern but some patron's, especially those delivering a letter not to be handled by anyone but him, could contain a potion or powder to maim or even kill. It was Goblin logic to check; better safe than dead.

Sitting himself down once again on his stool Ragnok carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the letter within.

_Dear Mr Ragnok,_

_I received a letter inviting me to Sirius Black's Will reading but have been told by Albus Dumbledore that I cannot attend due to security issues. As much as I hate to ask I was wondering if you could provide me a method of transportation as it would mean the world to me to attend. I will understand completely if this is not possible or if you are not willing to go behind Albus Dumbledore's back on this, but please say you will at least try._

_Yours Respectfully,_

_Harry Potter_

_P.s I was wondering why I never receive updates on my account? (Vault 687) A muggleborn friend of mine told me to ask you as she receives updates even without a vault. Many Thanks. HP._

Ragnok placed the letter upon the desk and sat back in thought. Mr Potter was famous throughout the wizarding world for his defeat of Lord Voldemort many years ago and also for his more recent debacle in the Department of Mysteries that had culminated in the death of his Godfather, the outlaw, Sirius Black.

The Ministry had tried and failed many times in the past few years to have the Black family fortune seized and added to Ministry coffers but had been turned away each and every time. It seemed that the Ministry was unwilling to accept the Goblins' stance when it came to Lord Black's guilt.

Ragnok did not understand why they had sided with Lord Black and like many had accepted the rumour that the fortune must be incredibly large and the senior Goblins' did not want the Ministry to get their hands on it as a good enough reason to decline. It was well known that the Ministry believed the Goblin nation were second class citizens.

Looking back down at the letter in-front of him Ragnok sighed deeply. This was indeed a mess and he now had to clean it up. Pushing himself up once again from the stool he walked over to a small cabinet and with another, more intricate, wave of his hand the small silver handle glowed white. "Vault 687." He enunciated clearly and once the glow had faded, pulled the door open. Inside lay a single folder, yellowed with age and filled with dozens of sheets of parchment. Picking it up carefully, he returned once more to his desk, placed the folder down gently and opened it.

At the front was a sheet of parchment signed by both James and Lily Potter on 16th December 1979 declaring that this vault was to be a vault left in trust for their future child. The next page was a birth certificate for Harry James Potter and the pages following were the death certificates for James and Lily.

No one knew what had happened to Harry after the death of his mother and father. Some assumed that he had been stolen away by Death Eaters and was to be groomed to take the place of the Lord which he had defeated. Other, more sensible people, had deduced that the boy had most likely been hidden away someplace safe where he could grow up happy and looked after. The first anyone at Gringotts had seen of Harry Potter had been on the 31st July 1991 when he had taken his first trip down to his vault to withdraw money for school supplies. Ragnok could clearly remember Griphook nattering on incessantly about how polite the boy had been and how much he had enjoyed the ride to the vault and back. If that was the case, however, why were there withdrawals from the account since early in November 1981?

There was something not quite right in all of this but it was going to take him more than a few minutes looking over this file to figure it out. "Rest here pretty one," he said to the owl. "I need food and drink for myself; I have a feeling this is going to be a long night."

Closing the door behind him, trapping the owl within; he warded the door to alert him of anyone else's presence in his office and headed to the mess hall to retrieve some supper and mead.

. . .

It was several hours later when the Goblin was sure he understood what was within the file. It was a rare occurrence to have such things happen without anyone being aware but for it to have happened to '_the boy who lived' _was astonishing.

It seemed that someone was helping themselves to Mr Potter's money and somehow getting away with it. That was going to stop immediately. It was odd, however, that only Mr Potter himself was registered as allowed to retrieve funds as the boy obviously had no idea about the goings on in his own vault, let alone the amounts available to him. Since 1991 there was only 1 withdrawal per year that was a cash withdrawal and into Mr Potter's own hands. The others were all transfers to several different accounts.

The majority of these accounts, though well hidden and difficult to trace, were eventually discovered to belong to Albus Dumbledore. That sneaky old goat! Ragnok could not believe that a pillar to the wizarding community would steal money from a child, and not just any child, Harry Potter.

Grabbing a piece of parchment he scribbled a note to the boy and called over the lightly dozing owl. Tying it gently to her leg he looked her straight in the eyes and said sternly "I know you have another letter but this one is important, deliver it immediately and then your other letter. Understand?"

The owl bobbed her head and spread her wings preparing to fly. With a wave of his arm the door opened and the owl hooted gratefully. As the aged Goblin watched the snowy white owl fly away from him he couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy she was delivering too. As if the child had not suffered enough pain and unfairness in his life, he now had to deal with theft as well.

Realising that there was no more he could do for the boy for the time being Ragnok headed out to get some sleep, it was going to be another long day tomorrow, he could feel it in his bones.

. . .

Around dawn, Harry heard the tell-tale tapping of his familiar on his window pane and shot out of bed to allow her entry. The excited owl flew around his head once before perching on his shoulder and nibbling his ear affectionately.

"Hey girl," Harry said with a giggle at her liveliness. "I missed you too but you have only been gone a few hours! What's with all this energy huh? Did Pig rub off on you?"

A screech was his reply and Hedwig jumped and sailed gracefully down until she was sat atop his desk. Immediately Harry noticed the two letters and for a second was confused. Had she just sat outside his window or could she not deliver his letters for some reason?

Reaching down to untie them he noticed that one of the letters was a darker parchment. The other, as he had rightfully guessed, was his letter for Ron but the darker one had his name on it.

Opening it Harry read it slowly and felt his stomach knot uncomfortably.

_Mr Potter,_

_I received your owl earlier this evening and am sorry for the delay in my response. Your owl waited patiently and it is my fault that her other missive has not yet been delivered but I deemed this one much more important._

_I have taken the time to look into your account. The fact that you have received no statements in the past had me greatly confused and I chose to do some research. What I have discovered is extremely disturbing and though I hate to be the bearer of bad news I feel it is my duty to inform you of a number of thefts that have taken place since the passing of your mother and father._

_I am unwilling, at this moment in time to release the name of the thief, nor the amount taken. I feel that there is more research to be done before this is to be released to you especially considering the emotional strain you must be under due to your late Godfather's upcoming will reading. Please understand that I am going to do all within my power to make sure that you are able to attend one way or another. _

_I ask that you send your snowy owl back to me at your earliest convenience. All that you need send with her is an address to which I can mail you directly. For some reason, past owls have not been received by you and have instead been intercepted. Whether that is by Ministry personnel or some other source is yet to be seen but I will get to the bottom of this. Our customer's privacy and trust is very important to us and I am disappointed that our fulfilment of duty has been so lapse in your case._

_May your gold be ever flowing_

_Ragnok_

_(Inheritance and Research Department)_

Harry sat frozen. Someone was stealing from him? Who could it possibly be? Who would want to steal from him? The last time Harry had been in his vault he had thought that the cavern looked slightly emptier but had just chalked it up to his imagination.

Was it another Goblin? Perhaps that was the reason that Ragnok did not want to give him a name. One thing he had remembered from History of Magic was that when a Goblin had a quarrel with another, blood was inevitably shed. A cold shiver went down his spine.

As his hand hovered over a small piece of parchment he paused and pulled it back again. Could this be a trap to get his address? Checking over the letter he had received from the Goblin Ragnok and his previous letter from Griphook he carefully inspected the seal and was relieved to note that they were the same.

"What do you think Hedwig? Should I give this Goblin, _Ragnok_, my address? Apparently someone is stealing from me, including my past mail."

The little owl fluffed up her feathers at the slight upon her master, then barely a second later she bobbed her head enthusiastically several times and finished by sticking her leg out for the return trip.

Harry laughed joyously. He loved Hedwig dearly and knew that she loved him back just as fiercely. She had met this Goblin and believed him trustworthy and so he shall as well.

Harry scribbled his address on a small piece of parchment but made sure to add that whoever was receiving his mail may still be able to intercept it and that he only normally received mail from his own owl Hedwig. He then sent her on her way with a wave and a smile.

Although he was still seething at the idea of someone stealing his parents' money; he also had a look of fierce determination. No one was going to get away with stealing what his parents' had left for him.

This Ragnok was going to get to the bottom of this and help him attend the will reading too. For the first time since receiving Dumbledore's letter forbidding him attending, Harry felt optimistic.

As it was still so early, Harry decided to go back to sleep for a few more hours and woke feeling refreshed around 9am when Aunt Petunia knocked on his door pushing it open.

"Breakfast will be ready in 10 minutes, okay?" she said quietly.

"Do you need any help?" asked Harry politely, muffling a yawn.

"Not this morning. Make sure to wash up." With that she pulled the door closed and he heard her light footsteps disappear down the hall towards Dudley's room. The muffled sounds of her waking up his cousin always amused him. He was as difficult to wake as Ron but the lure of food would soon see him awake and heading for the kitchen.

Heading into the bathroom Harry used the facilities and then washed his hands face and brushed his teeth. It was nice being able to use the family bathroom but it still took some getting used too.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Harry dropped the cap of the toothpaste in fright and turned in alarm towards the doorway.

"HARRY GET YOUR ARSE OUT OF THAT BATHROOM RIGHT NOW! I NEED TO PEE! HONESTLY YOU'RE LIKE A WOMAN OR SOMETHING!" came Dudley's raised voice from beyond the wooden door.

With a relieved sigh and an internal giggle on his cousins behalf Harry replaced the toothpaste cap properly and left the bathroom, pausing to watch his cousin's unusual dance as he ran into the bathroom and slammed the door closed behind him.

Still in his ragged pyjamas Harry walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to meet his Aunt and enjoy a leisurely breakfast stopping briefly to pick up the newly delivered mail. Placing the small pile of envelopes in front of his aunt's place he sat quietly in his chair.

Dudley arrived a few minutes later grumbling about Harry's time spent in the bathroom and how if he was going to spend so long in there you would think he could manage to fix his hair somewhat.

Harry acknowledged that he was enjoying this new family dynamic somewhat though he was still worried about putting a foot wrong and it going back to the old way.

Aunt Petunia, having finished her cooking, brought the steaming platters over to the table one at a time and then sat down gracefully.

Dudley immediately began to dish himself some of everything but Harry was still in awe at the amount of food present. This was the kind of breakfast that he would have previously been made to make and probably not been allowed to eat. There was a bowl of fluffy scrambled eggs and a small dish with bacon still sizzling slightly. Toast was lined up in a rack like dominos and juicy, red, fried tomato's were piled in a bowl. The usual fruit bowl filled with apples, pears, oranges and bananas sat just behind as an alternative along with a pot of plain yoghurt and a box of granola.

He had been so busy looking at the food in front of him that he had missed the glance passed between his aunt and his cousin. He was therefore surprised when his aunt spoke casually, yet forcefully, and began to dish him some of everything.

"Need to keep your strength up, growing boy and all that." She said with a nervous giggle to finish and Dudley almost choked on his scrambled eggs as he fought back a laugh.

"Growing boy? He's as scrawny as they come!" He chortled grabbing another slice of toast before stopping suddenly.

They all had paused in their eating at Dudley's comment. Each one of them knew and understood why Harry was as '_scrawny´_ as he was and yet not one of them wanted to say it out loud.

After an awkward few moments of silence Dudley spoke up again. "I…I'm so sorry Harry I…I didn't mean that the way it came out. I just meant that, um…"

Taking pity on his cousin Harry nodded and smiled ruefully. "I know what you meant Dud, I guess we're all still a little bit sensitive on the subject. This food is really delicious Aunt Petunia, did you add some spice to the eggs or something?"

"Why yes Harry, I did. I use just a dash of mustard powder for heat, just like your grandmother did for Lily and I when we were little."

Just as quickly as the tension had begun, it ended and the meal continued on mostly in silence but with a few polite enquires from Harry or Petunia and a rather raunchy joke from Dudley that he had heard from his friend Piers.

Once they had all finished eating, Harry decided to help by taking the dishes to the sink and washing them. He felt it was the least he could do and got on with the task with gusto.

"Mum? What's wrong?"

Harry turned at Dudley's question, placing the bowl he had finished washing on the draining board and drying his hands on the towel. Looking at his aunt he saw her face had become pale and her hands were shaking whilst clutching at a letter. As he watched she seemed to snap out of it and looked up towards her son. "I'm fine Dudley." She said with fake calm and then turned to face Harry, letter outstretched towards him.

Taking the paper with shaking hands he read it quickly before glancing up at his Aunt. "Is this what I think it is?" She nodded and handed him the envelope. Inside were 10 crisp £50 notes. "What are you going to do with it?" he asked quietly.

Standing up with purpose she surveyed her son and nephew as they looked at her expectantly. Taking a deep breath she replied "Well for a start, you need a new wardrobe." Now both boys were staring at her like she had grown a second head. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go get dressed. We have a long day ahead of us!"

As Dudley ran up the stairs to get ready, Harry walked up to his Aunt and gently hugged her. It was only for a second but when he pulled away again both had smiles on their faces. "Thank you Aunt Petunia." He said as he walked towards the stairs.

"You're welcome Harry." She muttered under her breath once Harry was out of sight. Heading up the stairs to get dressed herself, Petunia felt lighter than she had in years. Things were finally working out for her family and she would do everything necessary to keep it that way.

**Authors Note**

I am really happy with this chapter although I apologise for any minor errors as I have a rather stinking cold and have read it through several times making small changes but I may have missed something. (Probably ;p)

I was going to include the shopping trip in this chapter as well but I changed my mind at the last second as it was already quite a long chapter. Please review if you have time, I love reading what people think and any ideas or suggestions are always welcome (feel free to PM me) x x


	13. Chapter 13

Harry was surprised that whoever was guarding him on Dumbledore's request had allowed him to leave the property but perhaps they were following. He doubted it. It was one of those days when he was glad that Mundungus Fletcher had been chosen to be one of his watchers.

They had caught the bus into town from around the corner and Petunia had shepherded them both straight into a Clarks shoe store. There, he had been made to try on pair after pair of shoes, eventually settling on a pair of dark brown trainers, 2 pairs of black leather shoes and a pair of slippers in a deep emerald green.

Within minutes they were once again heading down the high street. Harry wasn't really sure what he was supposed to be doing. His Aunt seemed to have the trip laid out in military fashion and when questioned answered back in a strict yet mildly flustered voice "There's so much to get, so little time until everywhere shuts."

It was only just past 11am and Harry had thought the trip would only take an hour. He was sorely mistaken. The next half hour was spent looking for underwear. Considering he was almost 16, this was his first family shopping trip and although he had been exceptionally embarrassed when his Aunt had shouted at him from across a packed shop he was enjoying it. She had deemed it necessary in her haste, to separate and Harry and Dudley had been on one side of the shop perusing the socks when her voice could be heard desperately calling for him.

"Harry? Harry!" came the high pitched voice of his Aunt.

"Yes Aunt Petunia?" he replied, popping his head over the display of character socks that he was currently viewing with Dudley.

She threw her hands into the air and started waving them, an item held loosely in each hand now being waved at him in turn. "Boxers or briefs?"

Several packs of socks and boxers later a very red faced Harry was relieved to find out that they were stopping for lunch.

"Can we go to McDonalds mum?" Dudley asked whining slightly as he had been made to carry the bags.

"I think Harry can choose where we eat today Dudders."

"I've never had McDonalds, is it good?" Harry asked his cousin curiously.

"It's delicious! Their fries are amazing and the Big Mac's…wow!" was Dudley's eager response.

"McDonalds is fine by me Aunt Petunia."

With a sigh and "very well" they headed off towards a glass fronted building with a giant yellow M above the door.

Just over half an hour later a very happy and very full Harry Potter exited the building carrying a small toy cowboy named 'Woody'. Dudley had been correct, the fries were heavenly and he even got a toy! Harry was glad that the 'Happy Meal' had lived up to its name. Even Petunia and Dudley couldn't stop smiling at how happy the cheap plastic toy had made Harry.

"Where too now Aunt Petunia?" said Harry, completely rejuvenated from his meal of a hamburger and fries.

"Well we have shoes and underwear…do you have enough underwear?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes Aunt Petunia." He mumbled as Dudley laughed raucously beside him.

"Well then," she said grabbing his free hand. "This way!"

Harry trotted after her and into a large department store with Dudley bringing up the rear carrying the shoes and underwear.

By the time they escaped this store Harry was exhausted and all three of them were now loaded down with carrier bags of varying sizes and weights. Despite this, Harry was extremely pleased with his new clothes and couldn't wait to get home and pack them away into his rickety old wardrobe.

"Well I think that is everything," Petunia said heaving the bags up to bring the circulation back into her long, thin fingers. "Well nearly everything."

The relief that Harry and Dudley had felt at his Aunt's first sentence faded immediately by the time she had finished the second.

"Awww but mum we're really tired and I don't think any of us can carry more bags." Was Dudley's impassioned plea.

"You have bought me more than enough Aunt Petunia, I really don't need any more."

"See, Harry doesn't need anything else…can we pleeeeease go home now?"

Petunia turned and saw the look of exhaustion on both boys faces. She herself was only running on caffeine at this point and decided that perhaps the little bit of shopping that she had planned could wait for a day or two. They waited rather impatiently at the bus stop and took up several extra seats from their bags alone.

When they finally made it back to Privet drive they were all ready to drop but a fresh wave of energy hit Harry as he realised he could now change into one of his new outfits and he bounded up the stairs to his room, making several trips back down to pick up the remaining bags. Petunia and Dudley sat tiredly down in front of the television, the latter quickly flicking through the channels to find something to 'chill out' too.

. . .

Harry stood in front of the full length mirror in the upstairs hallway turning one way and then the next. He wore new underwear which was soft and actually fitted him which felt great and boosted his confidence immediately. He also had on a pair of dark blue jeans with a brown leather belt and a plain black t-shirt with a deep red button-up shirt that he had left open on top.

He blushed as he heard his cousin wolf-whistle from the stairs and turned to acknowledge him.

"Don't you look smart!" Dudley said sarcastically, adding a wink to show he wasn't being rude, merely playful.

"Oh Dudders he looks very handsome." Said Petunia, completely missing Dudley's wink and gushing over her nephew. She pushed past him and started towards Harry, brushing his shirt down around his shoulders and tsk'ing over the state of his hair.

"We should have gone to the barbers." She said with a frown, pulling at his hair.

Dudley burst out laughing at Harry's indignant expression and headed into his room to read the new comic he had bought that day, laughing and pointing the whole way.

"Aunt Petunia…" he said trying to push her hands away. "Thank you for today. I had a great time and I love my new clothes. You really needn't have spent so much on me." He was glad when his Aunt stopped grabbing at his hair in response.

Instead she placed her hands on his shoulders and stared into his eyes, her own teary. "You're very welcome. I am only sorry that it took me so long to be there for you. You have grown into a fine young man and I am very proud of you and I know your mother must be too."

"Thanks Aunt Petunia, that means a lot." His voice sounded slightly choked even to his own ears and with that he walked back into his room determined not to cry in-front of his mother's sister and stopped abruptly, tears forgotten, as he stared open mouthed at the sight before him.

. . .

Molly Weasley was rushing around the small kitchen of the Burrow trying to make enough food to keep all of her children happy. All of them had generous appetites and she was more than happy to provide for them though she sometimes wondered where they put it all, Ron in particular.

"Dinner in 5 minutes!" she called out. "Ron, Ginny, Fred, George! Come and lay the table."

At the mention of dinner, 4 pairs of feet had immediately raced from upstairs and her babies were now arguing about how to lay the table out…and Quidditch. With a sigh and a flick of her wand the table laid itself and her children sat down in their usual places, eager for their meal.

Mr Weasley walked in slowly and kissed his wife on the cheek before taking his place at the head of the table. It had been another long day at the Ministry. He worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts department until recently when the newly appointed Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour, had created a new department and made him the head. He had worked hard for many years for minimal pay and now it was paying off, finally! Although he had to admit that he did miss working with all the fabulous muggle technology such as rubber ducks and bottle openers. He now worked in the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects which was closely linked with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and also included a nice little pay rise! His family had been so proud! He surveyed his family like a king and held pride in his eyes for each of them. They were growing up so fast but he was not going to hold any of them back. He wanted his children to follow their dreams even if they were rather questionable when it came to Percy for example.

Ronald had found two amazing friends in Harry and Hermione. For a while both himself and Molly had worried about their youngest son as he was brash and easily jealous of what others had but he had found true friends and they couldn't be prouder. They hoped dearly that he would not let his jealousy ruin something so precious like it almost had during the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

As for Ginny, she was blossoming into a beautiful young woman who was able to defend herself, something that both parents were glad of, what with her being the only female Weasley. She had inherited Molly's temper but would likely mellow once her teenage years had passed. Then again, the same had been said about his darling wife and she still had a spitfire temper and could make you feel like a naughty school child from one look. Molly was sure that Harry and Ginny were going to get married one day making Harry a real member of the family and not just an honorary one. Arthur wasn't so sure.

The twins were, well, the twins and though Arthur didn't like all of their experiments he knew that they were going to give Zonko's a run for their money one day, something that Molly greatly disapproved of. Their new store 'Weasleys Wizard Wheezes' was already taking in huge profits and was the main factor behind his wife's constant headache. She couldn't figure out how they had managed to save enough to open a store in Diagon Alley in the first place and he wasn't going to risk her wrath by asking them even though his curiosity was definitely peaked. Even though they owned a flat above their shop his children weren't fools and always came home for dinner. Potions and ointments they could make but stew…not a chance.

His other children were no longer sitting around the table regularly to eat meals for one reason or another. Charlie had followed his dreams and was working in Romania on a dragon reserve. It was dangerous work and they worried about him a lot as dragons were incredibly unpredictable but he was just happy that Charlie was happy. They didn't get to visit him very often as they did not have a lot of money spare but Charlie always tried to visit them once a year if he could get the time off work.

Their oldest, Bill, was a fine young man who had moved back to the UK only within the past two years to work at Gringotts. Previously he had been working in Egypt as a Curse Breaker but now that the war had once again flared up due to the return of Voldemort he had taken a desk job within Gringotts and was currently dating the Beauxbaton Ex Tri-Wizard Champion, a Miss Fleur Delacour. They were going to get to meet her properly in a few days' time. Bill had decided to invite her to stay for a few weeks so that everyone could get to know her. It must be getting rather serious if he was introducing her to Molly. Bill technically lived at home but often stayed at Miss Delacour's abode which was fine by them. Arthur was already worried about the reaction this young quarter-veela was going to receive from his wife. No one was likely to be good enough for her baby.

As for Percy, he sighed. Well, Percy had always had very strict beliefs and a determination to succeed. He believed that money and power were what counted whereas Arthur thought himself one of the richest wizards alive having such a huge and loving family and a wide circle of friends. He had never been able to get Percy to understand that. Now that Voldemort had been revealed as being alive he did not know where his son stood as he had not spoken to him. Even though they both worked at the Ministry they rarely talked, or even smiled at one another, even in passing. Percy was his only disappointment and only because of the pain he willingly put his mother through.

"Everyone mind your arms, here come the plates."

Tucking his arms into his sides to avoid the many steaming platters he smiled as his wife sat herself next to him and began to scold Ron for not waiting until the plate had hit the table.

She was a headstrong witch, always had been, always would be. That was one of the things he loved about her, one of many. Her motherly nature meant that his kids had grown up never starved of affection and on top of that her cooking was incredible. She had been a beauty in her day and although her hair was greying in places and her face was beginning to wrinkle she still had a smile that made his heart stop and a laugh that made him want to join in.

They all sat, talking about inconsequential things such as Quidditch, though it wasn't always easy to decipher Ronald's sentences around his full mouth. Molly had made a delicious beef lasagne and had served it with fresh steamed carrots and green beans as sides and crunchy garlic bread to mop up the sauce, it was heaven.

Just as they were all finishing up their dinner and Ron was helping himself to thirds there came a low hoot and Hedwig flew through the kitchen window, landing before the youngest male.

"Look Ron," Ginny squealed in excitement. "You got a letter from Harry! Does it mention me?"

"How do I bloody know? I haven't read it yet." He said, thankfully between mouthfuls.

"Well hurry up and read it then!" she said again, eagerness obvious.

"Ginny…" he spoke as though speaking to a small child. "I…am…eating."

"Eugh! You're such a pig!"

Hedwig watched this interaction and hooted in annoyance at the situation. She had been balancing on her leg waiting for this red headed boy to remove his letter and all he could think about doing was stuffing his face. She sometimes didn't understand why her master liked this boy.

"Come here girl, I'll remove the letter. That will make you more comfortable won't it?" Ginny spoke softly and waved the white owl over to her side of the table.

Nipping Ron's finger as he reached for more garlic bread Hedwig hopped over to Ginny and waiting patiently while the girl fumbled around trying to get the letter off. This girl liked her master but she didn't think her master liked this girl, at least not the way she thought the girl wanted. It was a shame, she seemed nice enough.

After the letter was delivered to Hedwig's exacting standards which basically meant that the person received the letter, she was made a fuss of and was fed several treats, she took off back out the window heading home to her beloved master.

Ginny stared at the letter sadly. It was addressed to Ron, just Ron. She had been there with him in the Department of Mysteries and yet she hadn't received a letter. Unless hers was inside this envelope with Ron's letter? With a huff she handed the letter over to Ron who shoved it into his pocket and continued to eat his dinner.

"Aren't you gonna read it?" she asked, her voice showing her surprise.

"Later." He said, shoving another fork full of lasagne into his gaping mouth.

Molly and Arthur watched silently as their youngest son gorged himself excitedly on the food in front of him and ignored a message from his best friend. Arthur decided he needed to have a word with Ron about what was important in life. The last thing they wanted was another Percy in the family. He wasn't sure that Molly could take the heartbreak.

Fred and George were staring at their younger brother with matching looks of distaste. They may act like they didn't take things seriously but in their line of work you had too, at least behind the scenes where no one saw. Harry had given them the money to start their business off and they were incredibly thankful. The same boy had saved their sister from a Basalisk and their father from Voldemort's familiar, Nagini. They all owed him a debt of gratitude and would likely never be able to repay him and yet here was Ron, being completely ignorant.

"You know Ronnikins." Said Fred.

"You don't know how lucky you really are." Finished George and the pair of them rose from the table fluidly, bowing to their mother.

"The food was,"

"Delicious as always mother dearest but I am afraid,"

"We must retire for the evening as we have,"

"Another busy day ahead of us tomorrow!" With that, the twins headed out of the kitchen and a moment later the sound of the floo activating was heard from the living room and the kitchen was once again silent save for Rons chewing.

. . .

"What the heck is that?" asked Dudley, making Harry jump. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you but…is it supposed to be glowing like that?"

Harry shrugged and turned back round to view the strange object. Laying on his desk atop his loose sheets of parchment was a box. Carefully, he walked towards it and on closer inspection he realised that the box seemed to be vibrating on and off. The glow was almost blinding now that he was next to it and he shielded his eyes.

"Is that…is it magic?" said Dudley, fear and awe apparent in his tone as he walked to stand next to Harry.

"I don't know what it is." Harry said as he looked around his room to see if there was any one else present. When he couldn't see anyone he turned around to see Dudley reaching towards the box. He yelled out to stop but not before Dudley's hand had touched the lid of the box. The box refused to open and the glow was now an angry red colour and the most annoying and frightening part was the high-pitched wail that it now emitted.

"ARGH! MAKE IT STOP!" Yelled Dudley over the racket, his hands clasped over his ears tightly to muffle the sound.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU IDIOT! WHY DID YOU TOUCH IT?!" shouted Harry in response, frowning at his cousin as he mimicked his movements. Seeing as the box had not harmed Dudley in any way and so distracted by the sound to think clearly Harry reached for the box, thoughts of possible portkeys or curses nowhere in his thoughts.

As soon as his finger touched the box the glow dimmed until it disappeared and the wailing and the vibrations stopped and both Harry and Dudley let out a sigh of relief.

When Harry turned to speak to his cousin he noticed his Aunt Petunia frozen in the door frame, her posture stiff and her face a ghostly white. Seeing Harry's expression, Dudley also turned and saw his mum. He ran to her in shock thinking that she may collapse.

"What was…what…what…" her voice died away and she gripped the door frame tighter to stop herself from falling, eyes trained on the box and not registering anything around it.

"Mum!" Dudley said wrapping his arm around her waist and helping her to stand. He also succeeded in bringing his mother's attention onto himself and her ire.

"What in God's name is going on here." Petunia said through gritted teeth.

Shrinking in on himself slightly, having not been spoken to by his mother like this very often he spoke rather fast in reply. "Harry got a bright glowy box and he didn't know what it was and I tried to find out and when I touched it it went red and starting wailing at us."

Petunia stared at her son letting his words sink in before surprising everyone by smacking him on the top of his head. "Did your father and I teach you nothing? Honestly does anything get through this thick skull of yours? Hmmm?"

"B…but mum I—"

"But nothing you great prat!" she said making Dudley gape and Harry muffle a laugh. "That could have done any number of to things to you. If there's one thing we have always tried to tell you it's that magic is unpredictable. It could have killed you!" With that she burst into tears gathering her son into her embrace and motioning for Harry to join the hug.

The smile was wiped off of Harry's face when she pointed out what could have happened and he felt a lump rise in his throat as he unconsciously joined the one armed hug from his aunt and was even more surprised when his cousin wrapped a meaty arm around him and gave him a squeeze. The look on his face was priceless and he was the one now standing stiffly as his Aunt cried.

It was several minutes before Petunia calmed down and let them both go but it was the longest few minutes of Harry's life. Having not been hugged at all growing up until he met Mrs Weasley, Harry was still very uncomfortable with physical affection of any kind. Hugs, pats on the head, kisses on the cheek…he just didn't know what to do.

"We're sorry mum." Dudley said solemnly and Harry nodded; head down sadly.

Stepping more fully into the room Petunia pointed at the box and asked the all-important question. "So what exactly is it?"

"We don't know yet. You came in just as we stopped it screaming at us." Dudley said shrugging his shoulders. "All we can tell is it's some kind of box and it likes Harry."

"What do you mean it likes Harry?"

"Well when we came in it was just glowing a really bright white and –"

"It was vibrating on and off too." Interrupted Harry.

"Weird. Anyway…after I touched it the colour changed to red and it started screeching at us, then Harry touched it and now it's just a box." Dudley ended his explanation with a shrug.

"Here, use this to open it!" said Petunia handing Harry a wooden spoon. She had been in the process of starting dinner when the noise had begun and had brought it with her, tucked in the front pouch of her frilly, floral apron.

Taking the spoon Harry stepped back towards the box with trepidation and after taking a deep breath he flicked the lid of the box open and squinted into the box. The inside was lined with a deep red crushed velvet and on top of that lay a letter. Looking closely Harry saw the Gringotts seal and with a sigh passed back the spoon and reached in for the letter.

"What are you doing!" Petunia said, her voice shaking and her hands reaching out to stop him from touching anything. Dudley was holding both hands over his open mouth and had his eyes closed tightly hoping to avoid the harrowing sight he felt sure was going to take place as soon as Harry touched something.

Not wanting to laugh at them for their worry he quickly explained, hoping to calm them. "It's ok Aunt Petunia, Dud, it's a letter from my bank. I recognise the seal now that the box is open."

Noticing that it was going to take a few moments for his relatives to calm down he took the letter, ignoring the cringes coming from his Aunt and cousin and ripped it open.

_Mr Potter_

_You are probably wondering why I have sent you a box and more than likely why it was glowing. This box is a Gringotts Emergency Messages for Automated Inter-departmental Letters , or E.M.A.I.L for short. _

_Its purpose is to send letters and memo's within different departments and in some cases, to other branches throughout the world. As you probably understand, the size of the bank is enormous and for a Goblin to walk from one place to another could take days. Therefore we created these boxes. Each is imbued with Goblin magic and is therefore undetectable by wizards and the Ministry. _

_This is my solution for sending you mail. _

_When you have received this message please write back a simple reply, place it in the box and once you have closed the lid place your hand upon the top and say: 'Deliver to Ragnok. Inheritance and Research Department. Password – Bloodfang the Almighty' and I will receive it immediately. _

_This will work for other departments when you know their phrase but I have managed to get two new boxes and have put a password on both so that no one but myself may contact you. Therefore I ask that if you do need to send something to another Goblin I ask that you send it to me sealed, and I will pass it on. _

_Once you have read this and replied, burn this fully so that the password stays safe and I know that what I receive is from you and you alone._

_Ragnok_

It took Harry about 20 minutes to fully calm his relatives down enough to leave him alone with 'the demon box' but eventually Harry was able to send a message back to Ragnok and then headed down to help his Aunt with the dinner. It would probably take the goblin a while to reply anyway.

. . .

Mere seconds after the box began to glow; Ragnok had opened it and retrieved the letter. Reading it quickly he screwed it into a ball and dropped it into the small rubbish bin next to his desk. Immediately, the letter caught fire and dissolved into ash.

Happy that his letter had been received and understood the aged Goblin began to write back to the teen. His face was sporting a heavy frown and his fingers were tight against the eagle feather quill he was writing with.

_Mr Potter_

_Now that our method of communication has been decided and deemed safe and secure by myself we can get down to business._

_It seems that your parents left this vault in trust for you in order to pay for your basic needs, your tuition and your school things should they not survive. This is in no way linked to your parent's main vaults which you will receive access to on your 17__th__ birthday as I am sure you are aware. I will be looking into those accounts in the near future to check that the nefarious actions of a certain individual have not affected them._

_The problems with your trust vault cannot be fixed as quickly as I would like. It seems that the money has been spread between several different vaults and people yet all stemming from the same source. I need to figure out whether these people are aware of where the money is coming from before I 'out' this person. I hope you understand._

_Now about this will reading. I do not understand these so called 'security issues' as our bank is incredibly secure and you could have a portkey that is made to drop you right outside the main doors. Portkeys do not work inside the bank, nor does any other form such as apparition and so once you are inside there is no way for you to leave other than walking on your own two feet or using one of the floo stations provided._

_Having said that I will try and have a portkey made for you to use on the 3__rd__ and will send it to you via E.M.A.I.L with instructions on how to use it._

_As with all our future missives I ask that you burn this as soon as you understand it._

_May your gold be ever flowing_

_Ragnok_

_(Inheritance and Research Department)_

With a grunt the goblin put down his quill and folded the letter before placing it into the box with care, sending it off to the Potter child. This poor boy could not get a break from Albus and though it was not technically his duty, he was not going to let the man stop the teen from attending a will reading and receiving an inheritance that was rightfully his.

Cracking his back as he stood he placed all of the relevant files into his personal safe and headed back to his quarters to unwind with a glass of firewhiskey. If the boy replied tonight it could most definitely wait until he was more relaxed and rested.

**Authors Note**

I am sorry for the delay. We are currently having a heat wave in the UK and it makes concentrating extremely difficult. I am about to start the next chapter, this one is my longest yet and I hope you enjoy it. I am not completely happy with it and have changed different parts several times and am uploading it to stop myself from messing with it any more. I appreciate your reviews and try to reply to each person. Happy heat wave! x x


	14. Chapter 14

Harry finished reading Ragnok's note and tried to take all of the information in. Someone was not only stealing his money but funnelling it off to other people, people that may or may not know that the money that they were receiving was stolen.

On top of that the goblin was going to get him a portkey to make sure that he was able to attend the reading of Sirius' will! Harry felt a rush of gratitude. This goblin did not know him personally and yet he was willing to go to the trouble of searching for a thief and getting him, just a boy, to a will reading. He would have to thank the goblin personally; this was all too much to take in.

Reading the note once more to make sure that he had taken in all of the appropriate information before destroying the letter forever Harry paused after reading the second paragraph. He had other vaults? He had only ever heard of or been told about his trust vault and had naturally assumed that it was the only one he had. Though he did find it weird that he had never seen any heirlooms or personal items, he had just assumed they were all destroyed the night of Voldemort's first downfall.

Burning the note proved tricky and he eventually settled on using the gas stove to erase all traces of the notes existence. It had not been his best idea and his Aunt had caught him and read him the riot act. He had eventually managed to explain the situation and she had told him to do it outside next time and not to let arson become a hobby. Harry almost mentioned that Dudley had spent many summers lighting fires in rubbish bins for the heck of it. Then again he wasn't going to rat out his cousin now that he was being nice to him.

Heading back upstairs to bed he was glad to see Hedwig had arrived back safely.

"Hi there beautiful. Did everything go ok?"

With a low hoot and a light nuzzle to her masters fingers Hedwig placed her head under her wing and dozed off. It had been a busy few days and she was very tired.

Taking the hint and realising that he himself was very tired from his day of shopping Harry had a quick shower and got himself ready for bed. He said goodnight to his cousin and his Aunt and settled down for the night.

. . .

Remus was pacing nervously outside of Number 4 Privet Drive underneath a borrowed invisibility cloak. He had taken over from Dedalus Diggle at 6am and was currently waiting to hear movement inside the house so that he could check on his cub and put his mind at ease.

During his patrol he had had plenty of time to think of the worst case scenario. Nymphadora had filled his mind with visions of the young boy covered in bruises and crying for his lost godfather. The aged werewolf had been tempted to barge into the property there and then and demand answers, possibly even take the boy with him but his unfortunate status in the wizarding world would see him locked in Azkaban before he could blink.

Werewolves were scum as far as the British Wizarding folk believed. Finding a job was virtually impossible and he had found himself seeking employment in the muggle world many times. Unfortunately it was difficult to keep a job when you had to have several days off each month with no explanation forthcoming. For many years he lived job to job, meal to meal and with no friends or prospects had come perilously close to ending everything for good.

He had been offered a beacon of hope however, when Albus Dumbledore, the wizard who had first allowed him the normalcy of schooling, had offered him a job as a professor at Hogwarts. Taking the job had given him something to live for, a place to live, food and an income and had also led to a meeting between himself and his school friend's son Harry. It had also led to the truth about his best friend: Sirius Black. The man was believed to have sold the Potter's out to Voldemort and to have killed their other friend Peter and twelve innocent muggle bystanders. Remus had not wanted to believe the rumours but when Black was sent to Azkaban there was little left to cling too. His thought, like many others, was that only the guilty were sent to the hellish prison.

With Black's escape they had begun their friendship anew and Black had allowed him to live in his home, Grimmauld Place, rent free. As Sirius could not leave the property due to his status as an escaped convict it was sometimes difficult to stay cheery. Even so, it was his first stable home environment that wasn't a school and he was forever indebted to the man. Now that his friend was gone however, he was back to living day to day. Grimmauld was once again in lock down due to the death of the Lord Black and until a new Lord was chosen, he could not return. This unfortunately meant that a lot of his personal possessions and most of his clothing was also unavailable to him. The hunger that had been forgotten for so long had become a normal occurrence once again and his tatty clothes were a constant reminder of his low status in the community that he loved.

Nymphadora Tonks had helped him a lot since he had lost his home. They had talked frequently and he had even had dinner with her a few times in the past week. He hoped it became a regular thing and not only because of the food that she prepared but also because of the conversation that she offered. Many folk thought themselves superior to a werewolf and so friendship was not taken lightly by Remus.

Since becoming a member of the Order of the Phoenix he had discovered a fresh slew of people that were willing to accept his 'furry little problem' yet there were also members that disliked even being in the same room as him. Even though he did not agree with everything that happened within the order he could not bring himself to leave as he did not want to be alone forever and the warmth and food that was provided was sometimes all he received in a day.

So lost in thought was he that he almost missed the tell-tale shout by Petunia for the household to come down to breakfast. He decided to give them a little while to eat before knocking on the door. Albus would be incredibly disappointed if he knew what he was up too. They had all been told not to let Harry know that they were there and even though Remus knew that Tonks had seen Harry already, the good little school boy inside him felt like he was breaking a sacred rule. Even with this feeling pulsing through his body, almost like a spell, he was determined to see his cub and protect him from whatever was necessary.

. . .

Harry was washing the breakfast plates, a job he had insisted on doing now that his Aunt made the breakfast each morning. With his hands submerged in the hot soapy water he was unable to answer the door when the bell rang and instead Dudley stood to answer it.

Making his way to the front door Dudley was confused to find nobody on the other side when he pulled it open. Looking out the door and around the sides to check that no one was hiding from his view he called out to his mum, leaning away from the door. "No-one's there. It must be one of the neighbour kids being an idiot!" Hoping that whatever child it was had heard the insult he swung the door closed and turned to head back into the kitchen to find out what they were going to be doing that day.

As he opened the kitchen door fully he was surprised to hear his mother scream and stand abruptly, pushing her chair back so forcefully as she stood that it fell backwards with an almighty crash.

With lightning fast reflexes Harry turned, a sharp knife firmly in his sudsy grip, his wand being in his back pocket. Expecting to see a death eater or perhaps his uncle Vernon standing in the doorway he was surprised to see his godfather's best friend and his ex-professor there instead.

"Remus!" he said with a smile, dropping the knife back into the soapy water and drying his hands on the kitchen towel. Quickly walking over to the man they shared a brief hug and then the teenager turned to his Aunt and attempted to calm her down by explaining who the strangely dressed man that was only half visible was.

After a few minutes his Aunt and cousin, the first of which was still slightly shaken, escaped into the living room leaving Harry and Remus to talk.

"You look well." Remus began with a critical eye and an almost sceptical tone.

"Thank you. I feel…well, I feel like a whole new person."

"In what way?" asked Remus. He felt like he was missing something important. There was a change in the attitude of Harry that he had no way of understanding. Something had changed and he didn't know where to begin or how to figure it out.

"New clothes," Harry said with a laugh, gesturing to his new pyjamas. "And Aunt Petunia and Dudley are more, uh, comfortable with me now and I them I guess." Not sure how to proceed with this conversation Harry stood and headed over to the kettle. "Tea?" he asked politely and began to arrange the necessary items at Remus' nod.

"Where's your uncle?" Remus asked eventually and ran to Harry as the boy dropped the mugs he was carrying, the crockery smashing the second it hit the tiles and hot tea flooding outwards. "Are you ok?!" he demanded, pushing the boy away from the hot liquid now covering the floor.

"I…I…I…" as the tears fell he managed to stammer out an apology just as his Aunt and cousin raced through the door.

"What on earth is going on in here?" His Aunt shrieked and seeing Harry unable to answer ran to him and pulled him into a loose hug. Dudley stood between Remus and his family with his arms crossed and his face a picture of distrust, guarding from an unknown foe.

"Nothing I just—" he swallowed nervously and stared at Harry. Putting his arms out wide in a peace gesture he eyed the boy discreetly as he finished answering Petunia. "I just asked where your husband was!"

Something was not right. Remus' senses immediately went into high alert as Harry tensed and began crying anew and Petunia sucked in a breath through her teeth and began to pat Harry gently on the back, occasionally rubbing small circles to sooth the black haired emotional teen. She also began to whisper something to Harry, something too quiet for him to pick up on even with his heightened senses. Dudley Dursley remained stiff as a board between them and refused to move when Remus tried to push forward to get to Harry.

"What's the matter with him." Asked Remus, surprised at the lump forming in his throat. Swallowing several times to ease the feeling of choking he alternated between staring at Harry, his Aunt and cousin. Without realising it he began to growl as they continued to ignore him. Dudley quickly backed up in alarm and at the sudden movement Remus controlled the raging wolf and slumped down on the nearest chair, his head in his hands.

He didn't know how long he sat there, but he noticed the sobs getting slower and quieter until only sniffling was heard and finally nothing. When he did look up at last he saw Harry, still held loose in his Aunt's embrace and shifting uneasily from foot to toot. Remus could tell Harry was planning his escape but he was desperate to know what was wrong. James, Harry's father, had been one of his best friends and he could not help his school chum's boy if he did not know what the problem was.

It had all gone wrong from the moment he mentioned Vernon Dursley. Had the man died? It was plausible but he didn't think that out of the three people in front of him that Harry was going to be the one most torn up by the death of the adult male Dursley. No. Then what else could it be?

Deciding to let the young male begin the next part of the conversation himself he was confused when they all sat at the table after a brief and mumbled conversation. Harry sat next to him with Petunia and then Dudley taking the remaining seats.

"I'm sorry 'bout that professor." Said Harry and for once Remus didn't correct the professor title sensing that that was the least of his worries.

"It's not a problem Harry but I am worried about you. Nymphadora told me you weren't taking Sirius' death well. I wanted to check up on you."

"You know she would kill you if she heard you calling her that?" replied Harry with a sad smile. Seeing that Remus wasn't going to say anything in response Harry spoke up once more. "It's hard knowing he's gone and not coming back. We didn't have long together and then to see him—" Harry breathed deeply and soldiered on. "To see him just sort of disappearing before my eyes. That there was nothing I could do to stop it. I blame myself. If only I hadn't been there. You should all blame me." The last was a whisper but Remus heard it like it had been shouted across the room.

"Maybe you think that, but I don't. Neither does Nymphadora or her mother Andromeda or her father Ted. Dumbledore doesn't, Hermione doesn't, Ron and his family don't and I bet if Sirius could answer right now, I bet he doesn't." Placing a hand on Harry's knee he squeezed gently. "The only person blaming you is you."

Remus could see the inner war waging within Harry's mind. The pain, the sorrow, the guilt…it was all there plain as day. It would not help to continue telling the boy that he was not guilty; they would just have to wait for him to believe it. It was not going to happen overnight.

"My husband has gone to stay with his sister for a time." Petunia said suddenly. All eyes swivelled to her, her face remained calm and her posture was poised.

"May I ask why?" Remus gently prodded.

"There was a…" her eyes momentarily caught Harry's but Remus pretended he had not noticed. "…a disagreement between us."

"What kind of disagreement, and with whom?"

"It was with all of us. He acted in a way we didn't like and has therefore moved into his sister's house until the matter is resolved."

"I see." Remus knew that he was not going to get any further information at this point in time. Deciding to change the conversation completely Remus brought up Harry's birthday. "Are you excited?"

"What 'bout?" Harry seemed genuinely confused.

"What do you mean what about? Your birthday party of course!"

"I didn't know I was having one. I mean I knew I would see my friends. Will it be at Ron's place or at…" Although he didn't say it they both understood that he was talking about Grimmauld Place. Sirius.

"It's going to be at the Burrow. I am surprised that you haven't heard anything yet. It's been arranged for about a week now. Plus, until the will has been read no one can enter that particular house."

"Who's coming?"

"Well, most of the order will be there. I think they are arranging a meeting for the evening so you will see more people turn up after 6pm. Obviously all of Ron's family will be there and Hermione has been invited and from what I hear has accepted. Neville and Luna were invited and I think that is all for the children."

"Only those who fought with me at the Ministry huh?" asked Harry.

"I'm afraid so. From what I gather they weren't going to be invited at all but Nymphadora was so sure you would want them there so she pushed to invite them on your behalf. I hope she did right Harry? I think she thought that if you trusted them enough to fight and protect each other then they should trust your instincts. Dumbledore wasn't happy. Something about bringing in outsiders into the order and some such rot. We finally managed to talk Molly round and you know how she is. Dumbledore didn't stand much of a chance after that." Remus laughed and was saddened when all Harry could bring forth was an unlikely smile and a sigh.

"What time am I coming back here?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?" Remus was now the one that was confused. "Why would you be coming back here? Surely you will stay at the Burrow with Hermione?"

Harry sat up straighter, his eyes hopeful. "Hermione is staying at the Burrow?"

"Of course she is, you both stay there every year!"

Harry once again looked despondent his voice low and sad. "Dumbledore says it's not safe this year. I have to stay here." Realising how ungrateful he sounded Harry's head shot up and he stared at his Aunt and cousin and rambled on about how he didn't mind staying with them anymore and that he hoped they hadn't taken offence. Remus tuned them out.

What was that boy on about? Dumbledore had arranged to have the Burrow's security heightened almost to Hogwarts standards. Ever since Sirius had died there had been a steady stream of wards being placed across the Burrow and its lands to make sure that the new headquarters was as safe as possible. How did Harry not know of this? Why would Dumbledore tell Harry it wasn't safe? Maybe this was back before the work had been finished?

"When did Dumbledore tell you this Harry?" Remus said, cutting across the boy and his continual nervous rambling to his relatives.

"Sunday."

Hmm so there went that theory.

"Harry…" Remus began gently. "The Burrow is immensely safe, new wards make it second only to Hogwarts herself. I don't understand why he would tell you that it wasn't safe…"

Remus was cut off when Harry stood. "Dumbledore!" Harry spat. "That man lies and lies and forces me to do things I don't want to do. He doesn't listen, he pretends he cares but…" Shoulders slumping in defeat Harry turned to Remus once more. "Thank you for coming to see me Remus. As you can tell I am fine. Tell Tonks I appreciate her getting my friends invited to my party. See you then." Swiftly exiting the room and heading upstairs Harry ignored the voices below in favour of his own internal musings.

. . .

"He's been through a lot the past few weeks." Said Petunia. Her eyes followed her nephew's progress out the kitchen door.

"I am sure he has. It has been a trying time for all of us." Remus replied, surprised that without Harry he was still welcome in this house.

"Dudley go and watch TV or something." Petunia said with a smile to her son.

Remus remained quiet as the two argued for a few moments and then watched as Dudley exited the kitchen and then waited patiently until the sounds of a movie could be heard coming from the living room.

"What I am about to tell you doesn't leave this room. Understood?" Petunia stated suddenly.

Remus nodded, completely surprised by the woman.

"I take it, from your reactions to each other that you and Harry are close. I don't need to know how, I know the boy has no family but my son and myself. I just want to know that when the boy goes back to your world, that there is someone watching him. He has suffered far too much, most at the hands of my husband and my son and I."

Remus stayed silent as the woman rubber her temples, trying to gather her thoughts. He spent the next 20 minutes listening to Petunia explain Harry's life with them up to that point and by the end of it the wolf was raging to rip the throats from the lot of them. Using all his strength to keep the creature at bay he listened carefully as the tale became grimmer, coalescing in the brutal attack by Vernon and Marge Dursley.

"What you have to understand is that Vernon got what he wanted. If he wanted to hurt the boy he did, there was nothing I could have done to stop him."

"You could have gone to the police, social services…anyone!" Remus raged.

"True, but what would have happened to Harry. Albus made it quite clear that I was to stay quiet on the matter." She sighed deeply. "I haven't told Harry or Dudley of course, I am not sure how they would take it but I believe that for whatever reason, and I don't know the circumstances of your world, that Albus wanted Harry weak. The boy has a strong will, much like his mother and I think that perhaps some of the abuse was not entirely our decision."

"Are you expecting me to believe that Albus Dumbledore planned all of this…this…" Remus couldn't even finish the sentence, so disgusted by the idea of his mentor being even partially responsible for the young man upstairs torment.

"Sometimes I had the urge to ask for help, to stop what was happening around me but then I would sort of…forget. I would be distracted by dusting or Dudley or sometimes even believe what was done was, I don't know, for the greater good or something." She continued on but Remus had stopped listening.

The greater good. Albus had a habit of supporting his opinions by stating that they were done for the greater good. Had Petunia been obliviated perhaps? Possible, but there was no proof. Perhaps she felt guilty and was seeking a way of redeeming herself. Maybe the greater good part was just a coincidence. Something felt off and if it weren't for the fact that he knew the Ministry was watching this house for any sign of magic whatsoever he would have whipped out his wand and checked her for spells right then and there. Perhaps that was why Albus was so unhappy about the situation with Harry and the Ministry. Perhaps that was why Petunia had finally acted and sided with Harry. One thing was sure, he would not be telling the aged headmaster anything about today's visit. He had a lot to be thinking on.

"Petunia, I think there may be a possibility that you have been under several different spells. There are spells to distract, spells to encourage certain behaviour and spells to make us forget. This summer, due to the return of a mad man and the role Harry plays they are watching the boy closely to make sure that there are no signs of the boy defecting to the dark. Because of this, spells cannot be cast in or around your house. Albus was particularly upset about this but we had no idea why. Perhaps that is why your previous attitude towards him has changed so much. I can only assume that Albus believed the behaviours to be so indoctrinated into your system that you would continue on unchanged but it seems that that has not been the case. It would also explain why he insisted on a constant watch of your house by fellow wizards and witches within his circle. I can only guess that he is waiting to hear about any changes. Luckily it doesn't seem that anyone has mentioned anything to him yet, other than news that your husband has not been around lately."

Petunia sat motionless and then erupted in a fit of anger. "You mean to tell me someone made me do those things?" Within a split second the woman changed entirely and slumped down, crying. "All this time I thought I was a bad person, that I was so full of hate and loathing that I was going to burn in hell for eternity and now I find out that there is a high probability that it wasn't even my fault."

"I cannot prove it whilst the Ministry are watching." Remus didn't want to anger the woman by insinuating that perhaps she was as evil as she thought she had been. "I will see what I can find out." With that he rose and headed to the door.

"But you can't go. I need to know…You have to tell me please!" her voice was weak and tears still fell from her eyes trailing down her slim face and dripping onto the white cotton tablecloth. "I have to know." She finished weakly.

"My replacement watch will be here soon. I have to leave or it will get back to Albus that I didn't follow orders. If that happened I may not get a chance to help you in the future." With that Remus covered himself with his borrowed invisibility cloak once more and closed the front door, heading back to his watch spot by the rose bushes.

Petunia continued to cry to herself in the kitchen and unbeknownst to both of them Harry stood from his seat on the stairs and plodded back to his room, angry and heartbroken tears threatening to spill.

. . .

_Dear Ragnok,_

_You have already done so much and though I hate to ask this of you I don't know who else to talk to. I have just overheard a rather disturbing conversation. _

_It seems that there is a possibility that my Aunt and possibly my uncle and cousin have been under spells to make them treat me a certain way._

_Apparently the Ministry fear that I am going dark and are monitoring my home to catch all traces of magic and that is why the attitude by my relatives has changed, because the spells cannot be cast. Please tell me, I beg, are there any ways to find out what spells have been used or if their attitude, though bad, was just the way they were?_

_I eagerly await your response and may your gold be ever flowing._

_Sincerely, Harry Potter_

Ragnok rubbed his eyes tiredly. It had been a busy few days and now this letter had appeared. Though it meant more work, the goblin was glad that the boy had trusted him enough to ask for help with yet another sensitive subject.

It must have been hard for the child to write. The number of smudges and what were quite obviously tear stains made the note even harder to read.

Standing abruptly from his stool the goblin walked to his door and pulled it open sharply. He may not know how to help the boy but he was damn sure he knew someone who could.

**Authors Note**

Wow this was a long chapter! I hope you like it I have re-read and edited a lot out over the past week and am finally as happy as I can get with it. As always reviews are welcome, please tell me if there is something you like/don't like/don't understand etc and I will try and respond to everybody.

Guess I better get started on the next chapter huh ;)


	15. Chapter 15

In a small room on the Burrow's second floor sat a brooding red head. His eyes ignored the dozens of smiling and waving quidditch players that were plastered over almost every available area of his bedroom. The bright orange walls turning deep amber as the sun began its decent behind the nearby hills.

The reason for his surly attitude was the telling off he had just received from his mother. Like most teenagers he felt that he was too old to be told what to do and when to do it and unfortunately for Ron it had escalated to such an extent that he had been sent to bed without dinner.

His mother had only once before made him go to bed without eating and he had vowed then that he would never anger her again. His stomach didn't like the feeling and he daren't risk sneaking any food as his mother was one scary woman when she wanted to be.

It seems that he had forgotten his lesson however and had told his mother to stay out of his business which had resulted in his now empty belly and the aforementioned moodiness. As if it couldn't get any worse he had found out only seconds after being told he was not going to be eating tonight that she had made cinnamon rolls. God he loved those!

His stomach growled again miserably and he wrapped his arms around his middle in pity. He truly didn't understand why his mum had gotten so upset. He hadn't meant to forget about Harry's letter and it wasn't like Harry was going to hate him for not replying yet. Only Hermione and he wrote to Harry so chances were that he would be grateful whenever he received his reply.

She had found the unread letter in his pocket when doing the laundry and had proceeded to rant and rave about being a bad friend. It didn't seem to matter how much he tried to explain that Harry wouldn't care about not receiving anything yet and how they were going to see him a few days' time anyway, she just kept on. After the third or fourth time of being told to go and write back to 'the poor boy' Ron had snapped and told her to mind her own business.

He probably should have stopped right then and escaped up to his room. Even though he had meant every word that he said to her he felt that it wasn't worth missing out on dinner and desert; especially cinnamon rolls.

Hearing movement heading up the stairs he realised that any hope of getting his mother to renege on his punishment was beyond hope. Dinner was now finished and he was sat on his bed, starving. It was beyond cruel.

He lay there until the sun had set completely and stars littered the night sky like glitter. Eventually he needed to relieve himself and marched to the bathroom.

On his way out of the bathroom he ran into his sister Ginny. She was the hopeful future Mrs Potter and it was her fault that his mother was so determined to keep Harry in good standing with the family.

"Have you written back to Harry yet?" she asked gently, tilting her head to one side curiously.

"Sod off Ginny. I'll reply when I want to and not before!" storming back into his room he slammed the door and flicked the light switch on. Once more his room glowed orange and he headed to his small desk to read the letter from his friend.

The letter was typical Harry and written in his usual chicken scratch handwriting. It asked for details about his birthday and queried as to the activities he had taken part in this summer. There was a little paragraph mentioning that he had written to Hermione several times but Ron scanned over that and finished the letter in less than a minute.

He threw the note back onto the desk. There hadn't been a single mention of quidditch anywhere. What kind of letter was this? Harry was starting to sound like Hermione; next he would be reminding him to do his homework or some such rot.

Grabbing a clean piece of parchment and an old quill he bent over the desk, squinting as he wrote.

_Hey Harry,_

_My summer has been pretty dull. Nothing much happens around here. Well, dad got a promotion which is awesome as I might finally get some new dress robes. I still can't believe they made me wear those frilly things for the Yule Ball. _

_Dad and Bill are gonna pick you up on your birthday at 10am. We're having a birthday tea for you and mums making a cake. It's going to be great._

_Sorry you can't stay but Dumbledore says you need the protection of your relatives house. _

_See you soon, _

_Ron._

Not even checking his letter over for mistakes he rolled it into a scroll and called over his tiny owl Pig and tied it round his leg. Pig hooted excitedly and flew out the window as soon as Ron had let go. It was rather comical seeing such a small bird with such a large letter hanging from its leg. Sometimes he was too excitable for his own good though.

"Harry gets a barn owl and I get a barmy owl; bloody typical." Ron whined before picking up a quidditch magazine and flipping to the middle.

. . .

Luna was brushing her long blonde hair whilst gazing up at the stars through her bedroom window. Her home, though oddly shaped was cosy and fitting for her and her father's personalities. She dreaded the day that she would have to leave this house to become her own person but knew that it was inevitable.

She had received an invitation to a party the day before from Molly and Arthur Weasley. They were throwing a birthday celebration for Harry on the 31st at their house, the Burrow, and they would be honoured if she could make it.

Luna had barely finished reading the invite when she had felt tears prickle behind her eyelids. She was normally thought of as being too '_loony_' to be invited anywhere where '_normal_' people would be. It was hard growing up with no friends apart from the animals living in her garden and her father. Ginny Weasley was her age and they had played together once or twice at the insistence of Ginny's parents. Apparently they didn't want their daughter growing up without any female company.

It was a shame that they had not really hit it off until the creation of Dumbledore's army the previous year. It seemed that even in her younger years she was just too unique to make friends.

As she brushed the day's tangles from her head, the bristles massaging her scalp gently, she mused on what this party would bring. She tried to guess as to who would be present and what there would be to eat. Would there be games or music or something else just as fabulous?

That night Luna dreamt nothing but pleasant dreams, her subconscious as equally excited for the event as her waking mind.

. . .

Young Neville Longbottom was relieved that he had already picked out a present for Harry when the invitation arrived. His grandmother, as lady of the manor, had opened the letter and passed it onto him several minutes later for perusal. She had agreed to allow him to attend with very little fuss which was unusual but no less wonderful.

Not used to attending parties that didn't require formal robes meant that Master Longbottom was currently pacing his room in front of his wardrobe trying to figure out what was going to be appropriate. He felt silly worrying about clothing but his mind just could not settle from the excitement and nerves the upcoming party brought.

"Neville!" came his grandmother's strict voice from the doorway. He span around, startled, and proceeded to trip over his own foot and fall face first onto the Gryffindor coloured carpet. He sheepishly looked up towards his grandmother, hoping she didn't pass comment on his continued clumsiness.

"What on earth were you doing up here? Back and forth, stomp, stomp, stomp. Honestly, were you trying to give me a migraine?"

He rose quickly shifting his weight from foot to foot in embarrassment. "No Grandmother." He mumbled eyes downcast. "I'm sorry."

The woman in question made a '_hmmm'_ sound and walked over to his closet. Rummaging around for a few moments she eventually stopped and pulled out a pair of black dress trousers and a black silk shirt. "I believe these will be appropriate for your little get together with your friends. You better ask one of the elves to help you find your dress shoes, there's only one in here." With nary a look at her trembling grandson she strode from the room, most likely heading back to the sitting room for her nightcap.

Letting out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding Neville rehung the chosen items on the hook next to his wardrobe and called for Tippy, the head elf of Longbottom manor; he had a shoe to find.

. . .

After his talk with Petunia Dursley, Remus had awaited his replacement in guard duty eagerly. Leaving immediately with no patience for small talk on this day he walked down the road and apparated to a small flat on the outskirts of London.

Ringing the bell a few times he waited, nervously pulling at a loose thread on the sleeve of his jacket. Inside the flat he heard a thump, followed by angry muttering and finally the door was opened revealing a florescent pink wavy hairstyle attached to a small woman rubbing her shin.

As the woman looked up at her guest her frown morphed into a smile. "Wotcher Remus!"

"Constant vigilance!" Remus returned cheekily, pointing out her flaw of opening the door without her wand. Honestly, sometimes he wondered how she made it through Auror boot camp at all.

"Yeah, yeah, vigilance my left arse cheek! I just walked into the coffee table so excuse me if I ain't concentrating." She pouted rather pathetically, though Remus thought she looked adorable. "My shin hurts." She finished with a whine, massaging the offending area.

"May I come in?"

Not bothering to answer, Tonks walked away from the door leaving it open for Remus to follow. Remus bolted the door and headed into the living room. He noticed the glares that Tonks was aiming at the coffee table and so chose to sit opposite in an armchair rather than risk being that close to an angry female.

"You know it's not going to apologise right?" Remus said after a few moments. The silence had become awkward and he needed her to be receptive to what he was about to say. She glared at him and her hair flickered to an angry red for a split second, then with a sigh her hair reverted to pink and she smiled.

"Fancy a sandwich and a cuppa? I was just about to make lunch anyway." Remus had a feeling that she knew about his hunger as her first instinct was always to offer him food. He wasn't too proud in that he would turn her offer down however, this might be all he would get today. Being in the order didn't actually pay him anything and his need to protect his cub would always win out over his own needs.

"That would be wonderful Nymphadora." He smiled graciously as she busied herself in the kitchen, occasionally walking into an open cupboard door or dropping something but humming happily the whole time. He sank back into the plush chair and allowed his muscles to relax for the first time that day.

"Remus you look tired, are you ok?" asked Tonks gently as she placed a steaming mug of tea and a ham sandwich on the coffee table in front of him.

"I'm fine. Just been a rather…disturbing day is all."

He picked up his tea and blew on it gently. The warmth emanating from the mug warming his fingers and sending pleasant tingles through his veins. Taking a sip he returned the mug to the table and picked up the plate holding his sandwich. Trying to control his shaking fingers he took a small bite and chewed thoroughly enjoying the salty taste of the ham and the gentle kick of the mustard. His stomach gurgled loudly in thanks. Tonks didn't seem to hear it but Remus felt himself blush none-the-less.

Together they ate in silence, Remus debating what to tell the young woman in front of him and Tonks allowing Remus to eat and drink his fill.

"What did you mean when you said today had been disturbing?" Tonks asked after Remus had finished eating. He sat opposite, holding his mug of lukewarm tea as though it held the answers to the universe. Remus was usually quite open so his demeanour told her that she was most likely not going to like what he had to say. "Is Harry alright?"

"Harry has been through a lot this summer." He ignored the unladylike snort and forged on, determinedly. "The loss of Sirius and the guilt he heaps upon himself are weighing him down. I don't know how to help him, he needs to trust himself but he doesn't know how. His relationship with his relatives has changed drastically also but he doesn't yet know why."

"What do you mean? What's changed?" Tonks asked with a frown. How was this relevant right now? Surely the loss of his father figure was the worst that had happened?

"Life has never been easy for Harry it seems. I should have taken the boy away from there and never looked back but I was too afraid of what would happen. How could I look after a child when I can barely look after myself?" Tonks was about to steer the conversation back when Remus began to talk once more. "It seems that Harry has been an unwanted guest in his family's lives since he first went to them. Neglected and mentally abused, forced to live in a cupboard and starved frequently…" he ignored the intake of breath. "…made to feel like nobody loved or wanted him. It was a genuine living hell for the boy. I am surprised that he has maintained his sanity to be honest."

"Remus, are you sure? How do you know all of this?" Tonks sat forward listening intently.

"His Aunt told me, after Harry found out that Dumbledore lied about the safety available at the Burrow."

"What do you mean?"

"It turns out that Dumbledore denied Harry the pleasure of spending the time after his birthday at the Burrow like he usually does on the grounds that it is not safe enough."

"But that's ridiculous! The Burrow's wards have been strengthened and added too by some of the strongest ward casters in the UK. What is that man playing at?"

"I have no idea. The man is exceptionally controlling whenever the topic of Harry comes up. I also think that the reason his nose is so bent out of shape over this whole monitoring magic over Privet Drive thing is because he can't cast his usual spells on the Dursley's. It turns out that Petunia and Dudley have changed quite dramatically in how they deal with Harry. Unfortunately so did his uncle."

"I get the feeling that I don't want to know but…" She motioned for him to continue explaining, both of their bodies tense.

"Vernon chose to take out some rage on Harry." He continued to explain the summer in detail, just as Petunia had done for him, to the pink haired girl sat across from him. By the end of his speech Tonks was crying silently and Remus was barely controlling the wolf within. The wolf was confused and clawing at his soul. On one hand, someone had hurt his cub, on the other hand, his mate was crying.

Remus choked slightly as he realised what his wolf side was calling the young woman in front of him. He felt his face burn in embarrassment as he realised that he was staring.

"How could they do that to Harry? He is one of the sweetest boys I know!" Tears continued to make their way down her pale cheeks and Remus felt his heart thud wildly in his chest. Now was not the time for schoolboy crushes, his cub had been hurt. Add to that the fact that he didn't actually know how to deal with a crying woman and you had one very confused werewolf.

"We just need to watch carefully. Make sure that no one else is able to hurt him."

"We should take him away from those awful people!"

"No. I believe that they are truly treating him well now. I have no way of proving my theory whilst the ministry are watching but I think that Dumbledore may have used his spells to make Petunia and Dudley treat Harry poorly and cast separate spells on Vernon to control the man's hate. It seems that without a renewal to the spells this summer, Vernon was finally able to let his rage out and Petunia and Dudley were able to see how horrible they had been and how wrong it was. It has faded slowly, another reason why I think this might be the case. I believe that his Aunt and cousin will fight tooth and nail to keep Harry safe now." He left off the fact that they probably would have done so previously if it had not been for Dumbledore. The old man would be brought to justice when and if they could prove his guilt.

"I want to rip that man a new one!" Tonks growled threateningly. The wolf inside him agreed and so did Remus but they needed to keep one step ahead of the wily old man.

"I know Dora, so do I but we need to act normally. If Dumbledore realises that we know something then who knows what he will do to us, or to Harry."

Tonks nodded in agreement and looked Remus straight in the eyes. "You called me Dora." She said with a smile.

"Umm…I'm sorry?"

"It's ok. I don't mind surprisingly. It sounded kinda nice."

They sat discussing their possible actions and how to figure out if Dumbledore was to blame for the way that Harry had been treated. They already knew that the man had been lax when it came to protection previously but now it was starting to show a much bigger picture and a lot more failures on the headmaster's part.

Eventually Remus rose, not wanting to impose any more than he already had.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Tonks blurted as Remus made his excuses.

The wolf inside howled appreciatively and Remus longed to agree. Food, warmth and a friendly conversation were excellent balms for his poor, tired soul.

Eventually Tonks won the argument and they made and shared a delicious stew and dumplings. Feeling full and content Remus sat on the sofa whilst Tonks washed the dishes. She had insisted and eventually threatened to hex him if he did not _'sit your arse on that bloody sofa and chill out!'_

When she emerged from the kitchen, feeling very proud of herself having not dropped a single plate she stopped abruptly in the doorway and a faint smile fixed itself on her face. Remus sat on her old floral sofa, head bent until his chin rested gently on his chest, snoring gently. With a wave of her wand she removed his shoes and coat. Tip-toeing over to him she gently manoeuvred him around until he was laid out flat. She then fetched a blanket to cover him and feeling slightly daring pressed a light kiss to his temple.

"Goodnight Remus." She whispered and was startled when he replied faintly.

"G'nigh' Dora."

. . .

**Authors Note**

I really wanted to include a piece in this chapter about Dumbledore and his thoughts but I decided to keep some of his motivations hidden for the time being. This is really just another chapter where you get a slight insight into what some of my other characters have been up to. I really wanted to show Ron's attitude compared to Luna and Neville. Let's face it; the latter weren't really highlighted as such in the novels.

I also wanted to include a little bit of Remus and Tonks relationship. Again, it wasn't really covered in the books it just sort of happened. Tonks always seemed like she would win any arguments and I hope you like my take on a possible kindling for their future together.

As always reviews are appreciated!


	16. Chapter 16

When Harry awoke the day after Remus' visit he felt emotionally drained. He pushed his face into his pillow and let out a shaky breath. Why did fate hate him so? Since his birth things had been going from bad to worse for Harry. When was life going to start repaying him for all of his suffering?

Murder, Spells, Death, Thievery and that was just the tip of the iceberg. Why couldn't he just wake up when the war was over and just live his life like a normal boy? Then again, nothing normal ever seemed to take place around him. Extraordinary feats just happened like second nature. Pushing away hundreds of Dementors' with one patronus, beating the odds in a death eater battle, killing a 60ft Basalisk! Man he just couldn't catch a break!

Maybe this whole Dumbledore thing was a mistake? Perhaps they were so busy looking for someone to blame that they had thrown said blame on the first name to crop up. Without certain tests that apparently weren't available to use at this moment in time they would never know. Harry was still learning magic and if Dumbledore really had done something wrong Harry was sure that the wizened old man would be able to find a way to lay the ground work without being caught. There were too many spells and potions that would make it easy to infiltrate a muggle home. Polyjuice, imperius and invisibility cloaks to name a few off the top of his head.

It would not do to fret over this while they had no proof. He could jeopardise a lot if he were to accuse an innocent man. Isn't that what had happened to Sirius? Harry refused to do that to another person knowing how much it had eaten at his Godfather.

He knew one thing though, today was going to be a trying day. He needed to keep himself occupied and his mind off of matters that he could not do anything about. Until Ragnok replied to him, he decided to act as normal as possible. He didn't want to upset his aunt and have to explain that he had been eavesdropping on her conversation.

. . .

Ragnok stood outside of a dark mahogany door, his scraggly calloused hands hovering over the iron door knocker. He had known immediately who would be able to help him in the bank but there was a childlike awe surrounding the goblin on the other side of this door.

Stories had been told about the power that this particular goblin held. Whispers and rumours surrounded him and though he kept to himself there was never a lacking of gossip. He was the goblin worlds' Albus Dumbledore, minus the corruption.

Mentally shaking himself he rapped the knocker and awaited a response. After several seconds he raised his arm to knock again and was surprised when the door swung open by itself.

"Well, come in." came a surprisingly high-pitched voice.

Steeling himself Ragnok walked in, shoulders stiff and face showing no emotion. Goblins' were not known for showing emotion; unless of course it was scorn towards witches and wizards that treated them poorly. He walked forward until he was in front of the old wooden desk and stood there silently awaiting recognition.

"So you want me to help the Potter child hmm?" the venerable goblin said sharply.

Ragnok stood, his face showing his extreme surprise. He tried to speak but all that came out of his mouth was a series of odd choked noises.

The old goblin laughed a hearty, deep laugh, the creases around his eyes becoming more pronounced and his sharp white teeth on display for all to see. "What's wrong? Kneazle got your tongue?"

Snapping out of his shocked stupor Ragnok frowned. Either this goblin was more powerful than anyone had previously known or there was a spy in the bank. If the answer was the latter he would make sure they didn't get away with stealing people's secrets.

As if reading the younger goblins thoughts the elder goblin clicked his fingers and a stool, exactly like the one he was currently sat upon, appeared next to the young one and he motioned for the goblin to be seated. "When you have lived as long as I have you pick up a few tricks. People don't take a crap in the Goblin Nation without me knowing about it!" he then proceeded to laugh again, a deep rumbling belly laugh that ended with a few coughs.

Ragnok's brain processed this and he cringed. Privacy was highly valued in the Goblin world and it seemed that maybe this Goblin was not quite so accommodating to basic rules.

"Now don't be thinking like that young'un! I may be old but I am not above disciplining you for your cheek!"

Again the surprise must have shown for the old goblin again began laughing raucously. Ragnok shifted in his seat, feeling suddenly inadequate and for some reason, extremely violated.

"How did you know I was here about Mr Potter?" Ragnok asked stiffly.

"The same way I know you have grown attached to the boy and that you are currently crocheting a blanket."

The elder goblin spoke so plainly that Ragnok had to take a few seconds just to take in what he was hearing. No one knew about his communication with the Potter child and absolutely nobody knew that he enjoyed crocheting after a long day at work. It was not proper for a goblin to partake in such human, not to mention feminine, hobbies.

"Not to worry laddie, I won't be telling anyone. I myself enjoyed baking when I was a bit younger. I made some great biscuits." He sighed, lost in thought. Ragnok coughed, snapping the elders eyes open. Their eyes connected and they seemingly stared deep into his soul. Rangnok was brave but he was not foolish, he looked away as quickly as he could and asked the question that he came here for.

"How do we pro—"

"Prove that Dumbledore placed spells on the boy's relatives? Hmm that's a tricky one, don't want ta let the old man know we know what he's been up ta. A cornered animal is a dangerous one." The elder goblin finished for him.

"Well is it possible fo—"

"For magic to be performed on Privet Drive without the Ministry of Magic getting wind of it? Heck no! Hahaha!" Again the elder goblin's laugh deteriorated into a strange hacking cough and Ragnok wondered what could be wrong with him. "Just age laddie, nothin' for you ta be worrying 'bout!"

"How do you do that?" The younger goblin spoke quickly in order to finish his question without interruption.

"Ah yes," the elder goblin looked chastised for a brief moment before continuing. "I do forget how annoying it is when I finish others thoughts. I don't get much company anymore and so I believe I may be out of practice. From now on I will do my best to let you speak. I apologise in advance if I speak out of turn again young'un."

Ragnok nodded his head, accepting the elder's word completely. He had never thought it a deliberate act, merely an annoying one. Either way, being able to voice his query would no doubt make it easier to understand and work with the problem at hand.

"So how do we prove that Albus cast spells on the muggles?"

"Hmmm, it won't be easy. That man knows how to cover his tracks. I wouldn't be surprised if he got someone to do it for him, just so that he can't be found guilty if it was ever discovered. Obviously this is only hypothetical, we don't actually have any proof that they have been under spells. Now come on young'un, tell me why you believe the boy's claims."

Ragnok sat for a few moments gathering his thoughts. Why had he been so quick to believe the boy? The truth was he just didn't know; something about the child's story made sense to him deep down and he wanted to be the one to help him. When the boy had destroyed Voldemort 14 years ago the reaction had been instantaneous. Celebrations had been fast and furious and gold had once more flowed freely throughout the wizarding world. People no longer feared going out to work or shop and the economy had taken a steep climb. Could that be the reason? Was he just thankful for the boy's part in upping the economy and thus Gringotts place in the magical world?

"The boy seems reliable does he not?" asked the elder, one long finger scratching the inside of one of his pointed ears.

"He has not lied to me that I know of." Ragnok replied back smoothly. The boy seemed almost incapable of lying, an unusual trait in a human.

"Indeed!" came the voice from opposite. "Ah, sorry 'bout that. Habbit."

A frown creased the younger of the two's brow but he said nothing.

"If Privet Drive is as closely monitored as you believe then there are only two ways in which to proceed. Either we bring the muggle's to us and test them which would probably not go down to well with either party, or we send one of our humans out to meet with them far from the restrictions placed on their home." The elder goblin dragged a small file across the desk and searched through the manila sleeve until he came across a small picture. "I believe this gentleman would be best." He said passing the 6x4 across to the young goblin before him.

Receiving the picture, Ragnok glared at the smiling red-head waving back at him. Previously a curse breaker he applied for a job after his mate also got a job in the bank. Humans were so predictable.

"I agree, I believe they already know one another…" he looked at the smirk on the aged goblins face. "…but you already knew that didn't you?"

"Guilty!"

"How do you do that?" Ragnok groused.

The elder's smile faded and Ragnok wished he could take the question back. "Do not fret young'un; you have not upset me. It is both a blessing and a curse to know what another thinks. A blessing to always know when you are being lied too and a curse…" a single tear fell from the corner of one of his wrinkled eyes. "…to always know when you are being lied too."

Realising that the elder goblin was seemingly caught in a painful memory Ragnok decided to take his leave. The first thing he needed to do was to let Mr Potter know that they had a possible solution and the second was to have a meeting with Mr William Weasley.

. . .

When Harry returned to his bedroom at Number 4 just after lunch it was to the sight of his goblin box pulsing once more with a bright white light. Now knowing the purpose of the box he raced over to it and threw back the lid. Inside lay a single sheet of yellowed parchment with familiar writing.

_Mr Potter,_

_I am sorry for the delay in my reply but I had need to talk to a specialist. Needless to say that they are unaware of who the client (you) is but are also now aware of the possibility of a problem. If it is to your liking we would like to arrange a meeting between you, your relatives and our trusted employee at your earliest convenience. _

_Please ask your Aunt to choose a place no less than 5 miles from your home for this meeting to take place and warn your relatives that a minimal amount of magic will be performed. If they have any questions feel free to place any and all letters from them in your box (sealed) and I will reply at my earliest convenience._

_May your gold be ever flowing_

_Ragnok_

Racing downstairs to the living room where his Aunt and cousin were watching the news, well Aunt Petunia was watching the news and Dudley was mooning over the anchor woman that had recently been hired, he quickly told them the story of his semi-accidental eavesdropping and immediately after the details of the letter.

"When they say magic will be performed do they mean on us?" asked Dudley, his eyes sparkling with childlike curiosity. It was an odd sight on his usually terrified cousin.

His aunt, however, looked positively nauseous by the idea. Harry no longer felt that it was because she was afraid of magic as a whole but the idea of having magic performed on her was not an idea that she was comfortable with.

"Well I don't actually know but I would assume that they would use a spell that would kind of scan your body for old spells. Kind of like a magical x-ray." Harry replied tentatively. He was not really sure himself but would do his best to reassure his family. He would never forget the past but it did not do to dwell in it now that such wonderful changes had come about.

"Wicked!"

"Well I guess we should arrange this to happen as soon as possible. No point waiting around now is there?" his aunt replied pointedly. Her fear was obvious from the slight tremor as she had spoken.

Trying his best to put her mind at ease Harry spoke once more. "I don't know a lot about the Goblin nation but what I have learnt over the last few weeks is very different to what we are taught at school. They tell us that Goblins' loathe humans but I think that they actually only loathe those that treat them as creatures that are beneath humans. As long as you treat this one with respect you can be sure that they will do the same." At least he thought so. "Plus they have a different magic to wizards and witches and the things they can do, like making that box, are truly incredible. Just one quick scan that you won't even feel and that will be it and we will finally know who cursed you."

It was almost in tandem that his aunt and cousins faces fell.

"What's the matter?"

There was a tense silence, neither looking away from the floor. Eventually Dudley spoke up, his voice so quiet that Harry had to strain to hear it.

"What if they don't find anything?"

Harry froze. They couldn't mean…could they? He looked between them, his mouth opening and closing like a guppy. His cousin looked like he had been told he couldn't have seconds and his aunt had tears streaming down her face and silently dripping onto her balled up hands.

"I don't care!" Harry finally yelled into the silence making his relatives jump in surprise. "I hate what you did to me but that has stopped. I don't care what the reason behind that is, all that matters is that you are treating me well now. Can't you see? If someone has been messing with you, that needs to be stopped, they could make you like it again in the future and I can't go back to that life now! I just can't! If by some miracle there has never been a spell on you well…I guess we just have to move on and you should be happy that you finally learned that I am just like you. Please don't be afraid." The last was said on a whisper.

"Tell your friend that we will meet him in town in the alleyway next to the McDonalds on Saturday at 3pm. I had some shopping I needed to do anyway so it won't be a problem." His aunt eventually answered.

With an excited yell Harry ran upstairs to reply to Ragnok and within the hour he had received a reply back agreeing on the time and the place. After telling Petunia and Dudley the news his aunt surprised them all by deciding to order a Chinese take-away as a celebration. As the meal progressed the excitement once again turned to nerves and the occupants of Number 4 Privet Drive were left wondering the results of the coming Saturday.

**Authors Note**

I am so so so sorry for the delay in posting this. I blame summer holidays. Many things have been happening. I was away for a while and then when I got back my manager went away and left me in charge. I never realised how difficult her job was and I have mostly slept these past weeks as I am just not up to much of anything when I get back from work.

I am also sorry that this is such a short chapter. This is my first normal day in about 3 weeks and I have wanted to post but been unable to write anything good enough and so now I have finally finished. I could leave it down for a few more days and add some more too it but it has been too long already. I wanted to upload every two weeks but that just has not been possible. I hope to be back to my normal routine now that the holidays are over and my manager is back in charge.

I'd like to know if you would like to see more of my elder goblin in the future. I wanted a way to lighten the mood a little as it has been a little solemn but Harry's birthday is soon and that means that the Weasley twins will be around and I am looking forward to writing them. As always please leave a constructive review so that I can improve my writing. Thanks you!


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